Kaikkonen: Finland to immediately launch investments in defence material, personnel
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Loading... - Carissa Andino
- 07 Apr 2022
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COMMANDER of the Finnish Defence Forces, General Timo Kivinen, views that the newly announced increase in defence appropriations is a significant but necessary investment in the defence capabilities of Finland.
The Finnish government on Tuesday pledged a total of 2.2 billion euros in additional funding for maintaining and developing defence capabilities in 2023–2026.
“Defence materiel procurements will supplement shortages and shortcomings that have emerged over the long term and respond to changing demands in the operational environment imposed by the war in Ukraine,” Kivinen stated in a press conference in Helsinki on Wednesday.
“We’ll hire civilian personnel for fixed-term positions as soon as this year,” he added. “The volume of refresher trainings will go up significantly […] and also other exercise activities will increase. We’ll also incur additional costs from monitoring and safeguarding the territorial sovereignty of Finland.”
“Tens of millions of euros a year will be targeted at equipment maintenance, to make sure the equipment can be used also in sudden situations.”
Kivinen said Russia’s military attack on Ukraine highlights the need for sufficient defence capabilities in circumstances where the attack must be met, at least initially, exclusively with national forces.
The government approved, without any amendments, the request for additional funding presented by the Finnish Defence Forces and Ministry of Defence. Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen (Centre) on Wednesday said he went over the request “with a fine-tooth comb” and assured that the justification is solid.
The materiel acquisitions, he added, will begin as soon as this year as the supplementary budget includes an order authorisation worth 1.74 billion euros for 2022–2027.
Kaikkonen described Finland’s existing capabilities as sound but reminded that all previous assumptions have been challenged in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine by President Vladimir Putin’s Russia. The war, he viewed, has demonstrated the importance of functioning defence materiel, sufficient ammunition stockpiles and high willingness to defend. Read More...
