More than half of Finnish military officers, 54 per cent, feel that Finland should seek membership in NATO.
A survey by the Officers' Union showed that higher-ranking officers from lieutenant-colonels to generals were most likely to support joining NATO; support for joining NATO was more than 60 per cent among their ranks.
The views that come out in the survey differ sharply from those in the public at large. Recent opinion polls indicate that only about one in five Finns are in favour of joining the alliance.
More than half of the higher-ranking officers feel that applying for NATO membership in the next four years would be the best option for Finland.
Only 17 per cent of officers feel that a referendum on the matter is needed, while 80 per cent would support a decision by the President and Prime Minister to apply for membership.
The survey was taken by e-mail. There were 1,257 responses.
