Minister of Defence Häkämies: Swedish motion to give up compulsory military service is not for Finland

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Finnish Minister of Defence Jyrki Häkämies does not warm to his Swedish colleague Mikael Odenberg's plan to drop universal national conscription during peacetime. "Finland’s standpoint is fundamentally different from that of Sweden", Häkämies says.
      "For us the starting point is universal male conscription as part of our defence strategy for the entire country. Crisis management and international engagements are supplementary activities, unlike in Sweden, where such operations are in a more pivotal role", Häkämies states in a telephone interview.
      "Giving up the national service may be Sweden’s model. It isn’t ours."
     
Finland is one of the last countries in Europe to still hold on to a large defence force made out of national servicemen. "But this has proved an economically viable alternative. Even in crisis management operations our reservists have been found to be extremely competent both as soldiers and as civilian professionals", Häkämies adds.
      "And there is an added bonus to the universal military service in Finland. We have found that it has an unquestionable positive effect on the nation’s defence mentality as a whole. In addition, it unifies the society when an entire age group is drafted. In the military, there are tasks for everyone."
     
Häkämies does not share Odenberg’s sentiments that in a crisis situation women and men could be drafted in equal measure. "Our present model is perfectly functional. I do not enthuse over Odenberg’s idea in this respect, either."
     
Sweden’s Minister of Defence Mikael Odenberg would give up universal military service during time of peace.
      The dormant national service could be reactivated if the security policy situation so required. "In such a case women, too, would be draftable", Odenberg outlined his views in an interview in the Tuesday issue of the Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet.
      Odenberg does not describe his option as a professional army, however. It would be a system based on voluntary participation.
      "In a certain respect, a universal military service scheme is a thing of the past", Odenberg claims.
      Odenberg believes in each age group there would be enough volunteers to step into the army greys, even without national conscription.
     
Sweden’s present defence doctrine emphasises international operations.
      Possible security threats are seen as global by nature, in which case it would be natural to address such situations at the source, whether it be in Afghanistan, the Balkans, or Africa.
      At present, a threat of invasion against mother Sweden is not seen as realistic. Therefore, maintaining a large reservist army is not thought to be as necessary as it is in Finland.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finland to take part in NATO Response Force exercise (8.5.2007)
  Minister Kääriäinen: Finland must spend more on defence, or join NATO (2.11.2006)
  COLUMN: Conscription army - strategic necessity, or fixation of national identity? (5.4.2005)
  Planned reductions in armed forces will cause problems with conscription (15.2.2005)

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