Finland may increase size of force in Afghanistan

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Finland is preparing to decide on a significant proportional increase in its commitment to Afghanistan. The move is being considered at a time of changes in conditions in the area where Finland’s crisis management forces are deployed.
      The reason for the change is the arrival of new US soldiers into the north of Afghanistan, where there are crisis management troops from a number of countries, including Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Germany.
     
In addition to considering an increase in the number of crisis management troops, Finnish foreign policy leaders are examining the possibility of deploying more trainers and civilian experts, and increasing the amount of development aid. One stated aim would be to “increase the impact of Finnish aid”.
     Decisions are to be made at the foreign and security policy committee of the government and president on Friday this week, in time for next week’s international Afghanistan meeting in London.
      The decisions would also be a response to a request for additional forces that had been presented by the United States through various channels.
     
Discussions on the policy are still underway, and the committee’s meeting scheduled for Friday last week was cancelled. There are apparent differences in opinion and priorities within the committee.
     According to various assessments, the strength of the Finnish force in Afghanistan could be raised from the present 120 to about 200.
     The goal has been mentioned previously as part of long-term visions, but the weakening of the security situation in Afghanistan adds pressures to speed up the decisions.
     Finland already has the resources to increase its presence, as the Kosovo operation winds down.
     
The increase could not go at the same pace as the buildup of the United States, whose 30,000 additional forces are to be deployed in Afghanistan by mid-2010. When this happens, the total number of soldiers under US and NATO command in Afghanistan would be more than 140,000.
      Finland has also been asked for more military trainers, but only a handful of the 30 trainers who have been promised have been recruited.
     
Increasing civilian aid to Afghanistan is a challenge of equal magnitude. With the exception of police trainers, Finland hardly has any civilian activities in Afghanistan. Finland channels development aid to Afghanistan through the EU and other international players.
     Sending civilian helpers to the Finnish area of operations in Mazar-i-Sharif would in itself require an increase in soldiers dealing with security issues.
     The Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) reported on Sunday that Finland will provide special training to British, Norwegian, and German soldiers, who are to coach Afghan security officials. The training is to take place in Finland, because Finland has large numbers of aging Soviet-made weapons, which are similar to the weaponry in use in Afghanistan.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Vanhanen: responsibility over a whole province could require more forces in Afghanistan (10.12.2009)
  Finland to NATO meeting without promise of greater Afghan force commitment (4.12.2009)
  Government ponders Afghanistan confusion (28.10.2009)
  Additional Finnish forces to be withdrawn from Afghanistan before election runoff (21.10.2009)

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