Finland gets professionals...

[FDF_Hemppis]

Finland to recruit professional soldiers for rapid deployment special force
EU unit to be ready for action in 2008


The Finnish Defence Forces are to start recruiting and training volunteers for special forces to be used in demanding military operations at home and abroad. The new training programme is to be launched next year.
The core of the force is likely to comprise professional fighters to be recruited for enlistment periods of five years.
The training is to be held in Utti in the southeast of Finland.
The plans were outlined to journalists at Utti on Tuesday.
For the past five years Utti has been training contract soldiers for special duties. However, they are only semi-professionals, getting no more than a year of special training after completing their national service.

In the new system there are to be three separate degrees of special forces.
Paratroopers are to be trained in connection with national service lasting one year as is the case now. They are to be used only for defence missions within Finland.
The second degree comprises contract soldiers of the kind that are already being trained in Utti. Those who have achieved an officer’s, or non-commissioned officer’s rank as a conscript will be allowed to apply for the special training.
Their period of service is to be extended from the present 12 months to 14.
The contract soldiers would receive training aimed at special forces activities, but abroad they could be used only for conventional crisis management operations.

The third degree would comprise professional soldiers to be trained for special infantry duties. They would be recruited from amongst the contract soldiers trained at Utti.
They would enlist for five years at a time, and would be trained for challenging special military action in Finland, as well as for demanding international crisis management missions.
Typical operations for the special forces would involve surveillance missions, as well as special operations to free hostages, for instance.
The training largely corresponds with the "force protection" tasks that Finland has been offered in the planned EU battle group that Finland might set up with Germany and The Netherlands.
The rapid deployment force should be ready for action in 2007. Lieutenant-Colonel Petri Hulkko said that the Finnish unit would be ready for crisis management duties from 2008.

The Finnish Defence Forces will not say how many soldiers the special force will contain. The names of the recruits are not to be disclosed, and no interviews will be allowed.
Journalists were allowed to photograph the present contract soldiers who put on a display of their skills on Tuesday.
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woot

[moughoun]

so your finally getting an SAS type unit, good :D

[ikurinturbiini]

Sounds good, although I fail to see the real need for troops like that.

[Hullebullen]

Sounds good, although I fail to see the real need for troops like that.

All the cool kids have them...

[moughoun]

Sounds good, although I fail to see the real need for troops like that.
you fail to see the need for a tier-1 sf unit? :|

[FinnishMF]

Sounds good, although I fail to see the real need for troops like that.
Like our anti-riot unit :roll:

[ikurinturbiini]

Don't get me wrong, it's very good that we have that kind of training made available, and of course, it's extremely cool. It's better to have them and not need them than vice versa.

What they need next is a fearsome logo for their shoulder patches, and a good supply of black boxes (you know, to cover the eyes in photos.)

A secret unit just won't fly in Finland. Everybody who went to the army knows everybody who went to the army. And people are sure to post what they know in places like this. :roll:

Edit: how about we have a contest about that new logo for Finnish SF unit. Has to have an animal or something, and a weapon/s of some sort. Bear is out (already in use), lion is sooooo out (a cliche), and eagle is VERY out. Bats and cats are taken, as is the winged dagger and globe + anchor, trident is taken... Not much choice, is there? Get started, gentlemen! p-)

(kävisikö Väinämöislakki ja puukko sekä rynkky ristissä? :P )

[wreck]

Don't get me wrong, it's very good that we have that kind of training made available, and of course, it's extremely cool. It's better to have them and not need them than vice versa.

What they need next is a fearsome logo for their shoulder patches, and a good supply of black boxes (you, know, to cover the eyes in photos.)

A secret unit just won't fly in Finland. Everybody who went to the army knows everybody who went to the army. And people are sure to post what they know in places like this. :roll:
This is not a secret unit, it's our goddam backbone in the future.

Anyway, this is just the first step towards professional army, in other words: great news!

[moughoun]

Don't get me wrong, it's very good that we have that kind of training made available, and of course, it's extremely cool. It's better to have them and not need them than vice versa.

What they need next is a fearsome logo for their shoulder patches, and a good supply of black boxes (you know, to cover the eyes in photos.)

A secret unit just won't fly in Finland. Everybody who went to the army knows everybody who went to the army. And people are sure to post what they know in places like this. :roll:

Edit: how about we have a contest about that new logo for Finnish SF unit. Has to have an animal or something, and a weapon/s of some sort. Bear is out (already in use), lion is sooooo out (a cliche), and eagle is VERY out. Bats and cats are taken, as is the winged dagger and globe + anchor, trident is taken... Not much choice, is there? Get started, gentlemen! p-)

(kävisikö Väinämöislakki ja puukko sekä rynkky ristissä? :P )
I don't see a problem, we have US sf's and a former SEAL on this board, I have the privilage to know a few sf lad's in my countryect ect, it's won't be a problem for Finland, btw I think a badge with a scary Finnish dude is enough, we all know what you can do when pissed off p-)

[Elmo]

In the spirit of Detachment Törni just a lightning bolt.

[Kekkonen]

Why did you leave out the photos and the videos from the article Hemppa?

http://tietokannat.mil.fi/data/658/2</img>
High-res: http://tietokannat.mil.fi/data/658/3

http://tietokannat.mil.fi/data/657/2</img>
High-res: http://tietokannat.mil.fi/data/657/3

http://tietokannat.mil.fi/data/655/2</img>
High-res: http://tietokannat.mil.fi/data/655/3

http://tietokannat.mil.fi/data/653/2</img>
High-res: http://tietokannat.mil.fi/data/653/3

http://tietokannat.mil.fi/data/654/2</img>
High-res: http://tietokannat.mil.fi/data/654/3

http://tietokannat.mil.fi/data/652/2</img>
High-res: http://tietokannat.mil.fi/data/652/3

http://tietokannat.mil.fi/data/651/2</img>
High-res: http://tietokannat.mil.fi/data/651/3


Anyway, this is just the first step towards professional army,
in other words: great news!

I doubt that will happen considering Finland´s defence budget. And I would definitively
not want to see Finland getting a "15 000 soldiers strong army", like Hungary just got.
I would prefer a semi-professional one. A conscript army as the base, topped with small
professional units. Or units on the standby with contracted personell, such as those units
that Finland will commit to the EU´s crisis management troops.

[Jani.R]

Anyway, this is just the first step towards professional army, in other words: great news!



There is never gonna be professional army in Finland, 15 000 troops could not stop attack from Russia or even slow it more than couple days/weeks.

[mack pl]

Anyway, this is just the first step towards professional army, in other words: great news!

There is never gonna be professional army in Finland, 15 000 troops could not stop attack from Russia or even slow it more than couple days/weeks.

and how many could do that???60 000, 100 000, 150 000???

Pozdro ;)

[Javehn]

Anyway, this is just the first step towards professional army, in other words: great news!



There is never gonna be professional army in Finland, 15 000 troops could not stop attack from Russia or even slow it more than couple days/weeks.

I understood that the article is talking only about high profile soldiers and special units to become volunteer . The rest of Finnish military would stay drafted .
Well , that's what I at list understood ...

[mountainbear]

That unit is a very good idea I hope we will have one like that in Switzerland soon.
There is a project but I don’t know what stage it reached now.

[Phil642]

Good news!!!

Go Finland!

[moughoun]

so Switzerland and Finland have no tier-1 sf unit? :| , wow,any military worth it's rifle's has one

[mack pl]

so Switzerland and Finland have no tier-1 sf unit? :| , wow,any military worth it's rifle's has one

but....but.....they have magic potato.....whatever that means..... :lol:

[Kekkonen]

so Switzerland and Finland have no tier-1 sf unit? :| , wow,any military worth it's rifle's has one
Hm, there has not been any need for one. I guess Nordic mentality also has a big dose
of Janten laki (tall poppies syndrome according to my dictionary). No one is allowed
to be better than the next one, and an army should be a happy equal community
kicking ass. In a way the Nordic countries have been what Soviet Union never became.

But there has always been trained hm... conscript "saboteurs"... which were supposed
to be good enough for domestic use. And I suppose they still are. I think the experiences
from ww2 with conscript improvised "SF units" were so positive that the thinking lasted
for decades (and still does)...

ARMY SPECIAL UNITS

The traditions of Army special units date back to the period of the
Continuation War. At the time there were four long-range patrol
companies. In 1943, during the War, the companies were united into the
4th Detached Battalion. The companies completed a total of 275
reconnaissance and demolition patrol missions in the rear of Russian and
German troops. The longest patrol missions lasted more than 50 days,
reaching the Archangel railroad. Of the long-range scouts, totally nine
have been awarded the Mannerheim Cross of the Order of the Cross of
Liberty.

The training of scouts was started in the early 1960's, after a quiet period
following the Second War War. The Parachute School was established in
Utti - close to the transport aircraft - in 1962. Ever since the beginning,
about one hundred paratroopers have received their training annually.

Even today, scouts are trained for reconnaissance and demolition tasks
that are carried out in demanding circumstances and that require physical
endurance. The signal specialists - signal rangers - needed by these
reconnaissance units also receive their training in Utti.

[moughoun]

so Switzerland and Finland have no tier-1 sf unit? :| , wow,any military worth it's rifle's has one

but....but.....they have magic potato.....whatever that means..... :lol:
no they don't.......stop giving away state secret's p-)

[Dalleer]

Anyway, this is just the first step towards professional army, in other words: great news!



There is never gonna be professional army in Finland, 15 000 troops could not stop attack from Russia or even slow it more than couple days/weeks.

Ah yes , the professional/volunteer armed forces - question..

Well , I'm not for it either. However , where does this 15 000 - number come from ?

[radon]

(kävisikö Väinämöislakki ja puukko sekä rynkky ristissä? :P )

http://www.kaiku.com/SAMPUOL.jpg
The guy with the long white beard with a rifle ( and a mandatory knive) attacking a bear?

[Hullebullen]

so Switzerland and Finland have no tier-1 sf unit? :| , wow,any military worth it's rifle's has one

Sweden didn't either until very recently (SSG), at least what it is publicly known...

[Kekkonen]

Well , I'm not for it either. However , where does this 15 000 - number come from ?

Hungary just switched to a professional force, and they will have something like
that, with about double the population Finland has and about 200 000 square kilometers
less land to defend. Sweden is going towards an professional army now, and it will
probably be something like 20 000 soldiers strong and Sweden has double the budget and
population than Finland. But that "20 000" number is just a guess from my side of course.

For Finland conscription is the ultimate solution IMO, but topping it a little with these
Gucci-units doesn´t harm it. As I have written earlier there is more advantages than
just a big army with conscription, such as that the army really becomes the "peoples
army", it unites people from the lower and upper classes when they do their military
service, it simply unites the nation. And that the quality is lower with a conscript army
is just complete bull****. Just take the Swedish/Finnish UN/Kfor batallions out in the
world and look up what for example Sir General (General Sir?) Michael Rose had
to say about them, nothing but admiration.

[username]

Don't get me wrong, it's very good that we have that kind of training made available, and of course, it's extremely cool. It's better to have them and not need them than vice versa.

What they need next is a fearsome logo for their shoulder patches, and a good supply of black boxes (you know, to cover the eyes in photos.)

A secret unit just won't fly in Finland. Everybody who went to the army knows everybody who went to the army. And people are sure to post what they know in places like this. :roll:

Edit: how about we have a contest about that new logo for Finnish SF unit. Has to have an animal or something, and a weapon/s of some sort. Bear is out (already in use), lion is sooooo out (a cliche), and eagle is VERY out. Bats and cats are taken, as is the winged dagger and globe + anchor, trident is taken... Not much choice, is there? Get started, gentlemen! p-)

(kävisikö Väinämöislakki ja puukko sekä rynkky ristissä? :P )

how about we use a picture of a shaved monkey? oh wait thats George W Bush, why don't we try a picture of a bottle cap yes thats much better.