I am now 71 years old, and I was in Finnish army when I was 20. It was great time .I was trained to be a radio listener man and painting enemy movements to a map. Today my earphones are superior to those 50 years ago. Still I would go to service if needed.

If you want to know more about how Finland is prepared for war, see this - Taistelukenttä 2020 | Slagfält 2020 | Battlefield 2020 or Why Finland Has 54,000 Nuclear Bunkers. Subtitles are available.

@ultimatefriikki

10 ай бұрын

Highly recommend these videos, the second one is really interesting even if you're not interested in warfare.

@angulion

9 ай бұрын

Ministry of internal affairs just finished a counting of bombshelters and the current number as of yesterday is 55,500. :)

4:27 "ha ha opel" clip. not many people except finns know but that guy giving orders was actually kimi räikkönen the ice man from F1

War time basic strenght is 280 000 but the total trained reserve is 900 000. I enjoyed my time in dfence forces and so do most people. Lots of friends, amazing experiences, great toys and lot of useful skills.

@harrikuusjarvi3795

9 ай бұрын

Reseves will raise up to around 1150000 in few years. Men over 50 Are good shape (better than most iwho are 17-25 or so) so they can add extra 5 or even 10 years. Sadly people dont move that much anymore.

@vuokkijaba2906

9 ай бұрын

Joo mut tohon ei lasketa kantoväkeä

@MKitchen75

8 ай бұрын

reserve is growing trough voluntary people keeping their skills in shape.. at least 10000 people has joined MPK in two years

The 280 000 is our active reserve. They have had their service pretty recently and have rehearsals regularly. They can be mobilized within few days if there was a military conflict in sight. 900 000 is composed of the rest of the reserve. They take couple of weeks to get ready, and they fill up for losses.

That Mandelin is a hilarious channel telling facts and not so facts about Finland in a very very humorous way. I'm so old that I did my conscript service in late 1980s and have been taken to refresher trainings about 10 times after that. Some people may call me crazy but I think I've had a great time. The conscript time was sometimes quite hard physically and mentally, but I think it was worth it.

@Hnkka

9 ай бұрын

Many of my friends have asked "why i did not stay longer"

small correction, there is no "army" in Finland, we have "defense forces". We don't attack, we defend. Good job whit the videos. 👌 By the way, did you notice the world champion in 4:27?

When i did my service in Finland 2007 we had a guy who refused to use weapons. After basic training he was transfered to the "bandcamp" side of the military. But the same year I actually heard of one who refused to go and he got jail time. I mean its not hard, you have to chose: Military or social work. Its a very good thing in my opinion for a young man to go to military

Finns love Finland and are ready to fight for it because we are happy here.

I loved my time in then Finnish Defense forces, I served 347 days and got promoted to sergeant during the last month, now I've started to take voluntary courses through MPK for reserve training

I believe at 4:27 is F1 Driver Kimi Räikkönen being bossy.

@sasiuru

9 ай бұрын

Yes, it is Ice Man himself.

At 4:26 the person shouting: "Asento" was no other than Kimi Räikkönen :)

I started my service in january and I became a corporal (not because I wanted to but because they put me there) It"s not that bad and you get lots of useful skills there. I have 118 days left now

That particular video might not be the most informative one for a foreginer, but gives you the basic idea along with the army culture. Quick summary: All men must attend a draft event the year they turn 18, for women it's voluntary. Your fit for service is checked before and ranked: A fit for service, B fit for limited service, C not fit for service during peacetime(e.g get out of jail for free card), E service postponed due to health reasons (usually get this if you break something during service) or T not fit for service due to mental health. About 25 000 men and +1000 women complete their service every year. The war time strength is 280 000 soldiers, this is how many soldiers can be equipped, deployed, maintained and commanded in war at any given time. For those 280 000 slots, we have 900 000 men and women to take them. Your role might change during the years, and you can check what your current role is, or whether you have one, from your district office. During conscription you are trained to a role which depends on where you serve, how well you do during basic, how wanted that role is and if you are fit for the role. There are some 160 combinations of roles and about 40 branches of service, so plenty of where to choose from. Most roles allow for leadership roles from NCO to platoon leader, some all the way up to a company commander. Skills you learn may prove helpful later in life, or not. Kinda depends on what you do in the army and after that. You might get a gunsmith training and never touch a gun after service. After service you can receive mandatory or voluntary rehearsal training letters, usually for a week long exercise. You can also keep your skills up by attending weekend courses by the National Defence Training Association, I've taken 9 courses in the past 1,5 years, and the spirit has been high, people come voluntarily to crawl in the mud, march for hours, practice combat and survival with just a knife and a ferrous rod. You are also able to train things outside of your own branch, learn about crisis management and control etc. You are in reserve untill the age of 60. Realised halfway that this will get out of hand, feel free to ask if you are interested.

One consequence of conscription that people seldom think about, is that in this very peaceful democracy roughly half of the members of Parliament have a military rank. Finland is one of the most militarized countries in the world - to get at the proportionally same level, the USA would need to train 50 million more soldiers. And yes, like somebody said below about the skills people have, your barber can probably drive a tank and your biology teacher can navigate a Hamina class missile boat, you just don't know it.

In time 4.31 is Formula One world champion Kimi Räikkönen himself

One of the best part with the army was meeting people from other regions and with completely different backgrounds. Having lived most of my life in a tiny town, it was refreshing to have the possibility to choose a brigade far away from home. Felt I learned a lot about being a human being. And yes, sometimes it was physically and mentally hard (or just boring), but there were a lot of good moments and chances to challenge yourself during my 330 days. I also have been to refresher trainings (8 or 9 times) and also served in UN peacekeeping forces (16 monhts). And I also consider myself a strong pacifist: peace and stability it built through education and equality. And those who do the non-military (civilian) service are as important for society and safety as anyone else. I have no ideological problems with those who refuse to perform both military and civilian service, either (173 days in prison.... well, this part is debatable). When I was in the army there was a really nice guy who served without a weapon (aseeton palvelus), he regarded the army as important but he would never touch a gun. There is always a place for him, too, I think. You asked about skills. Quite many choose to get a driver's licence for lorries or heavy vehicles in the army. You get an expensice driver's license for free. When I was in the army we also in some case could get some extra "points" to use when afterwords in applications to higher education. For example one guy got a few points extra from his army gunsmith education when he applied to continue with engineer studies. I don't of course know how it is nowadays.

@Topias_K

4 ай бұрын

Well, those who choose the non-military civilian service are just cowards and not important for society at all. Some even resign and run away from the reserve 🤬But these "men" are very few and the majority of our citizens want to serve their country and respect our independence and freedom.

I chose civilian service which he briefly mentioned in the video. To enter civilian service you need to specifically apply for it which during peace time is just a formality. The application can be left at earliest on the actual draft day, which is the date you are assigned to your specific garrison. After the draft day you can apply at any point, including during military service if you already started, at which point the time spent in the military will be compensated from the total length. Service lasts 347 days and it starts with a four week training course, which depending on what you choose, includes stuff like first aid, fire safety and cleaning oil spills. So basically stuff that is generally useful in the civilian world. Rest of the service is spent working for an organization deemed "yleishyödyllinen" which roughly translates to "generally beneficial". This means that service can be completed in various organizations ranging from schools, hospitals, public libraries, to some charities and even churches. People who choose civilian service are not part of the reserves and are thus exempted from military service even during times of war. If a war were to break out, these people would be used to support the civilian administration, in effort to keep everything running as smoothly as possible.

@santtumoilanen3065

9 ай бұрын

i just told doctor that my ears are ringing and i have social anxiety then i didnt have to do anything.... and i wasnt even lying

I was military driver in army back in 90's served old 330 days. I got my profession there, been truck driver since.

I did my military service in the previous century when the shortest service was 240 days, I'm in the reserves, and it's definitely a worry people have. Nobody wants to go to war, but if there is a war, it will come to all of us and not just those who have done their military service. It's more of a general worry and not related to having done your military service. I worry about it, too, but not because I might be sent to war, but because I'm not in the physical fitness category I was back then due to various injuries. It's the shame of not being able to serve when every able-bodied adult is needed.

Coast artillery and coast artillery school back in 1981-82, so officer in the reserves until I turned 60. Looks good on CV without any real advantage, was an experience of a lifetime in the archipelago for a boy that that hardly seen the sea before. I think for most boys it is fun and games, at least we had a super good group and a lot of good time; pretty rough at times. I remember one morning waking up in the tent and of course all clothes on and still freezing; I was wondering why I cannot get up - my hat was frozen on the ground. Matrrasses we never saw, sleeping on some spruce branches on the snow and so tired we could have slept anywhere. Commanders were ok, especially I remember the class in the coast artillery school when the commanding officer started the lecture by saying "Gentlemen!" I was wondering who the hell he was talking to. I have good memories of the place - and actually a piece of cake when the enemy is not using real ammunition. But you get an understanding of what it is when there is war. For me the coast artillery was an ideal place - you keep the fort and shoot the ships and you don't go anywhere, you fight there as long as you are alive. The Finnish archipelago is very likely one of the most if not the most beautiful place on this planet to die, and I would do it for my country any time if needed - several times if I could. Slava Ukraini!

Worked in several prisons in Finland for over 15 years now. Havent met many who chose that way

I mean in a way Finland is one of the most militarised countries in the Western world. Basically the whole country can be turned into an angry armed camp in matter of weeks.

Corporal in communications here. I used to lead APC with communications devices needed to establish needed communications for needed branches. Today I keep up with my training and learn more. I have started pistol training and shotgun training to get more training, I am already trained in communications and basic assault rifle training and basic military service.

I ended up to RUK (reserve officer school) which is highest place in reserve. It was pretty intense and they told us where we would serve if war broke out. They also told us how much estimate lifetime you have left if you come across certain russian weapon system of helicopter. That was before training so ofc that was intentional. That was proper school and longest march was 70km with full pack. Then we went to train recruits and then you really see whole spectrum of people born in certain year or so. That was mind blowing. All and all I do recommend at least some military service. You can get friends for life, see ppl you never would see, learn skills you'd never learn otherwise. Bad side is those ppl you wouldn't see otherwise and it kinda sucks if you are in relationship. Also chain of command is military so not shallow organization and talking and brainstorms. top to bottom and shit flows to bottom always...

Went through it in 2002, did the basic 6 months. Can’t say it was the greatest or the worst time of my life but I feel like it was a valuable experience.

My dad and grandad both went to prison, i went to civil service. Usually the "difficult talk" is when son doesn't want to to the military, in my case it was that son didn't want to go to prison. These days though conscious objectors usually go to home arrest and wear an ankle monitor. I do support Finnish Defense Forces, and i support us joining NATO. My pacifism is rational kind, situation now is very different than 30 years ago. Didn't really seem like a big deal in the 90s to skip military service.

280,000 = Wartime strength, enough weapons and equipment for everyone. Can be mobilized within days. 900,000 = The part of the population that has done their military service and received military training. The pool where replacements come from. Also includes the 280,000

here's a story of how my military training helped me this week: in the signal company, our platoon's trainer upper sergant told us to always carry arround a piece of pair string (for signal cable connection purposes). well, i've carried it arround for about 6 years from when he said that in the summer of 2018. This week i was looking to repair my bike's back-light which is connected via a cable to the bike battery. the cable had grinded itself down on the rear wheel, and i remembmered his wise words. i had just the tools to repair my rear bike light thanks to what he had bestowed uppon us almost six years ago. now my back light works, and i didn't even have to figure out how the f i can get a long enough conductor to connect to my backlight :D

It did give me ability to sleep anywhere. Bde, stool, sitting on floor, cold water puddle under tree etc... Also as I served in maintanance, I learned how to pack things, including meself, into space which seems too small to all that stuff to fit...

What comes to leadership skills that you learn in military. People might make fun of it like "teenagers bossing other teenagers hahahah". But in real life it is serious thing. It is not meme school. People there are actually training to defend a country and it is serious thing. So the leaders who are usually 19-21 year old young people will actually train to LEAD anything from 7-40 people. Or plan to manage supply lines for hundrets or thousands of people. They are trained to lead. And it is not joke. If someone attacked Finland tomorrow those would be the people who would lead us in battles. So imagine what kind if leadership skills does regular 20+ year old person has when he comes out from university? None? What if you spent 1 year in military leading people form one year before your school....it can be huge benefit.

i was a military police and did 255 days of service. Generally speaking, the more specialized or higher training needed, the longer your service will be, for obvious reasons. All officers, for example do 347. 165 is the basic combat training that includes training up to company level tactics and is what most people do. Every branch includes the basic training so if you have something extra due to your branch that gets added on top, increasing your service time.

During my service one guy went AWOL. After hiding for a while he was caught and sentenced to 4 months of probation (Ehdollinen vankeus). Also I have a refresher training in 3 weeks so here we go again.

Im a Logistics Jaeger from Finnish Defence Forces Sodankylä`s Jaegerbrigade, i went through 165 days due to my birthdefect that affect my carry weight and mobility slightly. Honestly i wouldve wanted to be there for longer but the Company`s Captain insisted that i after 165 due to my defect. I also received training in multiple roles, primarily Logistics, then Anti tank duties, pioneer duties, Armor Jaeger duties (i was a 12.7mm gunner on an APC for a short time), bike mechanic and an on duty officer for 110 hours

Military Police was 285 days back in my time. We had to train on some extra skills compared to "basic" infantry so a month and a half was tacked on (back then the shortest service was 8 months). Much of it was boring to be fair - you quickly learn that you're always in a hurry to get somewhere you then have to wait for stuff to happen. The most "action" I had was when we thought we might have intruders on a fenced-off storage dump. We were actually ordered to load up with ammo when looking through the place. "Stop, stop, load rifle, stop or I'll shoot!" Didn't find anyone, false alarm. Got some skills out of it anyway, been doing civilian security work for half my life by now. And even if I'm not yet 50 (which would free me from the reserves) I'm relieved of wartime service because my employer made the case I'm more useful at work. Guess that's because by now there's no industrial plant or factory around here I haven't had to visit thanks to work. So instead of ducking artillery fire I get to be afraid of saboteurs...

I went to Upinniemi in January 1999. From there we got our first weeks of training. Basically training. If memory serves correctly then we were asked if anyone has aspirations of becoming Jaeger. And 4 of us volunteered. Next week we we're in Santahamina base and our Guards Jaeger training started. And once we joined Jaegers our minimum days went up from 6 months to 9 months automatically. From Jaeger training you have option to leave after normal army period or continue to pursue in officer line or go andget even more specific trainings. Now we have some people that absolutely do not want to serve, but just because you don't feel like it won't be enough. You need to have a real reason. Non-armament things won't fly here. Those deniers are few and far between.

Friend did not go to prison, but into house arrest with an ankle band after choosing to refuse. 900k includes all military trained people under certain age. Russia is the reason for the military culture in Finland, so yes, the threat of it is there.

@formatique_arschloch

10 ай бұрын

Yep, prison sentence in not how it is anymore. Ankle band is how it is these days.

@Alexandros.Mograine

9 ай бұрын

imagine choosing that rather than a normal job --> (civilian services, you do the exact same shit as in a normal job). darwin award winner. i bet he didnt even have a job either, what was his excuse? he just wanted to stay home depressed all day? we had 2 civilian service guys in our school as a kid, nice guys. everyone liked them. also, when did this happen? i've heard of people who did go to prison.

@SK-nw4ig

9 ай бұрын

@@Alexandros.Mograine actually his rebelling was against the fact that civilian service is longer than military service. He did six months civilian service and then stopped. This was few years ago, i dunno, ten?

@Alexandros.Mograine

9 ай бұрын

​@@SK-nw4ig i mean, i wanted to be in the army for 6 months, got 12 :D didnt bitch about it tho. reason civil services is longer than minimum army time is because civilian services is literally a day job... you're there 8 hours a day 5 days a week for 1 year, and you still get paid so you can live... what a glorious reason to "rebel" xD i dont get it but hey, whatever makes him feel just i quess.

@SK-nw4ig

9 ай бұрын

@@Alexandros.Mograine i mean whatever floats their boat. For what i understand, complete denial on participating is very rare in general. Each have their values.

It's funny how we finns never actually even think about the fact, that the cashier that is serving me right now is capable of using a fucking rocket launcher and an assault rifle if needed.

As somebody who worked in recruitment, it was adviced for young Finnish men to state whether they had completed their military training and what their military rank is in their CV. Well, if they had achieved anything above corpral... A couple men around me who reached commad positions during normal military service and did the longer duty, have been going to reservist refresher training courses even 20 years after the initial service. I don't know how the military tracks these things, but these people are also in leadership positions in their working life after the military service... The supposition among them is that they get called back to regular refresher training because of their current positions..

This was very tongue in cheek approach, basically translating inttijutut to English. You'd have had to been there to understand the references. I won't go there. However, the 900 000 troops is how many have had basic training and as such are somewhat capable of handling a weapon. The 280 000 troops are those that are adequately trained and equipped for modern mechanized warfare, and a portion of that (the younglings) are fielding with the newest hottest gear this world has to offer. So it's not like we have a near million supersoldiers, but half a million people capable of resistance if the well equipped army was to be defeated.

Great video once again

There are civil occupations, which are the same or similar to the role during the conscription time. E.g. truck drivers can obtain their truck driving license during their conscript time.

I could tell you a "wartime" story of that time we did an attack run with live rounds and went over a swamp that gets your foot stuck in it and when I shot my rifle completely blind - but I leave it to another time :) I am a reservist who joins these recaps voluntarily and I don't think about if a war would happen but like our president said, I am ready for it

My grandpa is one of the people who almost went to prison, because he didn't want to join the military. This was in the early 70's and he was a total hipster, no violence what so ever. His dad would have served in WW2 but had a deformed arm, so he wasn't drafted. My grandpa was a total daddy's boy, and seeing how much it meant to his father, he didn't go to prison, but instead did very well in the military and became a high ranking officer.

Nobody has mentioned that also women can join army in Finland. It’s not mandatory to them. In 2022 there were 1040 women who completed their service.

i was in one of the first "prototype series" of the modern finnish military leadership training style. It has really been worth it. ofcourse everything doesnt apply 1:1 to civilian life but it really gave a good basic start for learning more about leadership (as opposed to management). Assuming ofcourse that you LEARN it and think about it and not just boss around.. =D

@itmooh

9 ай бұрын

it also gives a young man a good lesson when you first have to be responsible of 7 other 20 year old idiots and answer for all their mistakes , and then you might be responsible for 30 or even 200. Pretty soon in your career you will be responsible for the safety of up to 200 people and if you fuck up you are probably facing jailtime, it grows a man up.

I served the military in 2008 in Sissi-troops in Sodankylä. Worst time of my life. Hated every moment. But I learned some useful skills that have been useful afterwards.

we have over 900 000 soldiers in reserve and about 250 - 300 000 in active training every year :)

When I was a child, I knew this was something I'd have to do, that it was my responsibility. When the time came, it was a no-brainer. So I did it. I wasn't as lucky as some. I didn't enjoy my time. Mostly hazing ruined the experience for me. Even though I didn't enjoy it, I know there's nowhere to hide if the Russians come, so it's best to be trained and gun in hand if it happens. I attend all refresher courses I can. Officially, the war time role of the reservists is classified, so you aren't supposed to talk about it. A lot of my friends are younger than me. I've noticed many chose the civilian service option. It's a bummer because I don't have pals to tell "inttijuttuja". Those who haven't been just don't understand and quickly get sick of listening to them. The Ukraine situation got many to appreciate the importance of conscription, and its popularity rose as a consequence.

@Topias_K

2 ай бұрын

In war, there is no such option as civilian service. It's only an option to military service during peacetime. It is also complete BS that civil servants take care of important tasks and services of society in war. In Finland, every man fights, regardless of whether he has completed military service or not. Nothing will change that. Breaking the oath and refusing to fight will result in court-martial and, in the worst case death sentecne, as happened in World War II. You go to the frontlines yourself like everyone else or you will be forced go there by military police. It's your choice.

Husband dearest will eventually discuss his time in the military at some point if he starts talking to a bunch of other dudes. Men in Finland seem to really bond over it 😆 I don't blame them though, from what I have understood and heard it is a very interesting time in a young man's life. I considered going through with it as a woman around age 19 but I started having various health problems back then so I decided against it. I however live vicariously through these "war stories" the men I know tell each other 😅

I didn't enjoy my time in the Army but I knew why we must have credible Defence Forces.

I did my military service in last century, and it was 360 days, once a Jaeger, forever jaeger.

I am 52 years old. I still go to military exercises every other year. It is an order.

I served 347 as a artillery observer corporal. I help lead the artillery observer squad and work as the artillery observer officer's second in command. Can't say I've directed artillery fire after my time in the army, but the corporal education that I got landed me some study points for my later studies from the "leader course" that was part of the training. A friend of mine though, got to be a truck driver and if you don't have truck driving license, the army will pay for it for you which makes the driver branch one of the best options for those who want to work as a truck driver once they get back to the civilian life. Also, I have a little social game that I play when ever I go out to meet new people as when a group of guys who don't know each other, get together and talk, I track the time and try to see just how many minutes it'll take till someone starts to talk about their army experiences. Sometimes it's a couple of hours, some times a couple of minutes.

Well...almost very young guy in Finland despise the conscription when it is ahead of them. And in some case it might interfere some school plans etc. but i have yet so meet fellow Fin who didn't have pleasant and fond memories from army or who regretted for going there. Usually people are very proud of their military service times. For me i volunteered to go as high as i can because my older brother told me i will be back in first train and can't do shit in there. Well i went as high as i can and got to spend few months in that nice Hamina place they showed in this video and i loved the whole year :) It was hard but worth it.

Finnish military in nutshell = when you first get to camp -> you wish you were home. When at some point you are put to stay in the forest for weeks -> you wish to be back at camp. During week/s long major exercises there are 2 things you will crave. First and importantly = Sleep. Secondly food. Hygenie is like the last of worries.

There is something like 870 000 military age (18 - 49) men who have done their mandatory military service, so there is indeed that number of reservists having military training in Finland. That 280 000 means the number, which Finnish Defence Forces have a straight up plan and locations where they'll be serving in case of war. However because it's only a plan, it could as well revised to be even larger number while 870 000 is a short term theoretical maximum which might in practice be very hard to reach. For example not so long ago only back in 2015 the war time strength of FDF was 350 000, so writing a new plan with a war time strength of 400 000 is probably still easily in the realm of possibilities while 800 000 stretches it close to the borderline of unrealistic. In short term rising military age to 60 would increase the number of reservists much above 1 million and in longer term extending the mandatory military service to women would produce even larger reserves in the future.

The last thing was funny 4 us.. 'cos "vmtl" is "vapautus marssi, työ, liikunta".. Meaning.. The person didn't do that much.. Such as I.. I had this heart-failure and the doctor told me that if I do 2 much I can die.. So it rock bottomed my feelings 4 service. Got 1 week of home-recovery and 30 days of this vmtl. A lot of us got these weird conditions in army.. Luckily the army provides super good health service...So the feeling is very different, and individual.

165 done and wartime assingment is to protect the communication centers.. was great time! lost 15kg of weight and got to shoot alot of different guns in training. Rifle, machine gun, shotgun, pistol and rpg. U sleep in a room with 15 or so guys on your team.. make really good friends and not so good.. (snoring) but for me and i think for everybody its like a place and time where u grow to be a man!

I did my 270 days starting 9.7.2001 to 4.4.2002, back then the options were 180, 270 or 362 days, after that I have done some mandatory refresher training to learn how to use new weapon systems and equipment. You can opt in for a civilian service instead of the military service, if you refuse both you will be sentenced in court. One of my co workers did 13 months in prison for refusing the service, he did his time in an open prison, working at the university during the days and going to the prison after work. The wartime strength is 280000 and there are just shy of a million persons alive that have received training and are still in the reserve as you are removed from reserve at the age of 50 for soldiers, 60 for officers. About 30000 new conscripts are trained every year, mostly men but more and more women each year as they can volunteer to join.

There are also civilians working in the Finnish army, and if war breaks out, they too will continue their work in the army.

Did you notice Kimi Räikkönen there? At 4:27 Yeah the F1 campion Kimi Räikkönen.

11 months service included 2:32 Reserve Officer School in Hamina. During war as lieutenant I'll command 1 younger officer, 15 sergeants and 70 artillerymen 2:20.

Atleast 70% of males in every age between 19-60 have done their mandatory service. So number 900k is somewhat accurate. In short even most of hate their time there. They will tell stories of rest of their lifes. Its kinda bonding thing in here in finland and great experience that you really cant get from anywhere else. Personally i did full year service because of that.

i served 255 days as medic...my wartime duty is medic ...i hawe went twice as refesher. i was allready nurse when i went to army

youp been there done that, year in north Finland 125 mornings wake up in tent.

Finland can mobilize approximately 270 - 280k soldiers within a week. The 900k estimate is probably based on total size of reserve.

There is a fourth way to avoid the army: physical (severe sickness, injuries etc) or mental fitness, they are "released from peace time service". Sometimes they are happy about it, but for some, it is not nice at all, they feel bad about it. Plus, there is 30-60 "total refusers" every year. In the end, approx 74% of Finnish men serves.

Yes you will go to prison for not fullfilling the service, but in that scenario they would likely thoroughly investigate if you are actually handicapped in some way (mostly mental disorders) and discharge you on that basis if possible. Nowadays, some people execute the alternative prison sentence as house arrest. It lasts half of the civilian service duration, so 173 days of imprisonment. Many people get "fake" certificates from practitioners though, to evade the service and they don't really have enough time to dig deep into everyone's medical records. So mostly, people who don't want to go to military either go to the civilian service or sometimes find themselves "ill", it's mostly people who want to protest the system that go to the prison in practice.

I was in military service 04/05. Haven't been to a reserve exercise since. Hopefully won't have to. One of my friends older brother went to jail because he refused.

Do well, be a sergeant, be primary target in the war :D I served full 12 months in the Finnish army :) Less than ten years and im too old for the reserve, so they will kick me out :D

So we have "Kutsunnat" as in they send a letter to your home, you need to have a basic physical and you CAN get out of military for mental and physical reasons (For example Diabetes or schitcofrenia) - for women it's completely voluntary but about 18% goes for it anyway :)

Säkylä AUK 2/95 Pioneerikomppania( army engineer I think) It was cool to learn from explosives and land mines.. :D

Motorcompany / drivers have one year service always mostly cause driving licens stuff take most of time in service then u drive around half year ;] would been nice memories if i didnt get/start having sleep apnea in the service ;D but doctor said so young and healty man cant have sleep apnea must be the asthma (asthma is enough reason to leav service if u want to but i was alredy half way done )..... luckily nothing bad happened while being sleepy behind the wheel

I know a couple of total objector, so he went to jail for a bit. Finnish jail is okay he said, they dont put those guys in any harm. Also some civillian service men, and thats cool. I did 347 days, basic training, NCO school and stayed as an assistant trainer at the NCO school for rest of my service. All in all, good memories and experience, alot of friends too. Always excited if i get mail from the defence forces, could be a notice for extra training or a position change 😅

@javel114

7 ай бұрын

Not too difficult to go to NCO school atleast in most branches. More of a challenge and alot of lectures etc. I would say it helps in basic things, like cleaning, organizing and tolerance. Loads of different types of people there, atleast infantry has all walks of life. I use my skills in my civilian work, since it's somewhat related to my military position.

I did my full length military service 1993 and have a rank of corporal. I think I do belong to the reserve of reserve, not part of the 280k, but 900k. So things will be ultimately nasty, if I ever get called to action. But yes, I am able to use assault rifle, make a fire and sleep in a tent, set up simple communication devices, measure target coordinates and give fire commands to the artillery.

We are not afraid of Russia. It's not a reason we go to the service. We go to the service for a common good - and it's a way of our tribe. To protect our way of living. All for a one and one for all. And our common enemy is A2 Yellow.

Videos starting pic is odd, cos there is no reason to ask... as you remember, conscription.😂

There was an musician that was sentenced to prison for refusing military service in the early 2000's, so yes people do get locked in.

@zedski

9 ай бұрын

This is also way more common than most finns think, every year there are people who refuse. I’m personally friends with a person who spent six months in prison in the early 2000s for refusing.

@slomo9831

9 ай бұрын

Guesstimating I'd say the number is round 30-50/year, might be higher now days. I was more pointing out that even "celebs" don't get of the hook that easy unless you're an athlete 🤪

My friends father was in prison but this was in 1970'. Now days you don't go in prison because they are mostly very peace-believing people who choose prison over army. Nowadays you get a surveillance collar on your leg instead of going to jail. This is because Finland's prisons are really full. There are restrictions on the foot collar, such as the areas and kilometers you are allowed to be, however, most of the time you need to be at home. In addition, your home will undergo surprise inspections and you will be monitored with GPS. If you don't follow the instructions, you'll end up in a real prison. And that's a fact, because my other friends son uses this foot collar just now.

347 always as the grand dad was in the war... so for example me.. I'm reserved by my company as a skill to provide in the company itself than military operations

im 33 and when i was 18 it was 180, 270 or 360 days but in my fathers generation it was 1 year duration no matter what. oh and the yearly average amount of people doing the military service is about 80% of the men of a age group (1.5% of women) rest are either relieved for medical reasons or go to the civil service.... (well the men go do the other things cause women dont have to do anything.... yey! inequality between sexes! not that i care...) anyways since about half of finlands population is men and about 80% of those has done the service technically we could deploy about 2 million people with some military experience if there ever was a really pressing need to get every possible man to combat

I did 240 at year -95! Way different, than nowadays.. But yeah, if our country needs my servise I'll go..

What's the difference between panzer jäger and regular jäger? Panzer jäger looks at cowberry leaves from top.

Active personnel: 22,000 - 24,000, 280,000 (wartime) Reserve personnel: 870,000 - 900,000

I did 362 and not even officer :D But it wasnt so bad. 4 meals a day, free train tickets and stuff.

Part 2: kzread.info/dash/bejne/k3x6p9SsqrfAnrA.html

Related to this, Finland has also invested in civil defence, like there is a massive underground bunker system in Helsinki. CNN news video: kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZpdsyMepk8u4p7w.html

1984-85, 11 moths. Best was shooting military rifels to target.

finland has about 900k reservist but our war time forces are about 350k

Service is mandatory for males but there's talk of making women to participate the draft. Service would be still voluntary for women though. I think thats the biggest issue I have that only half of the citizens are required to serve. Expecially since the FDF don't need everyone, they need the best. My time in the FDF was almost 20 years ago so can't say much about today but generally it was a good experience. I served for one year, came out as a NCO, and stayed for one year more as a hired NOC to train new conscripts. There where good days and bad days. Some absolutely useless BS but also some awsome things and overall good experience.The manadatory service is a cross cut of Finnish society so different people have diffferent motivations and it shows. My biggest learnings, besides the defence stuff were: 1. Make a decision! Do not hesitate. 2. Always try your very best! It shows if your not.

I went army (Naval forces) in 2006. Now that we joined NATO i think in a long run we will end this current form of Finnish Army. (After Ukrainian war)

I know some dudes who went to prison instead of military or civil service, pretty stupid choise imo. Civil service is an option if military is not for you, however civil service is often frowned upon by some folks (idiots who dont get that military is not for everyone).

Thank God Poland doesn't have mandatory military service anymore

Oh c’mon. All males of my family have been there, orders ones in the war also. It’s in our blood.

As I see it, since 1917, Finland waking up to war was more probable on some days and less on some days. We've liked the peaceful days more.

War time capacity is 280000 solders and reserve is 900000. That 280000 is ready in a week. Tens of thousands in 24 hours.

@MarkusKiili

9 ай бұрын

You can do either military service, military service without a gun or civil service or do the jail time.

@MarkusKiili

9 ай бұрын

Did you noticed F1 driver Kimi Räikkönen on this video?

When you have lived 1000 years under oppression and forced to fight other people's battles, you might want to fight for yourself so you could have a little chance to live in peace.

❤

Went to service in summer 1998. Served that time longest days (362) because I went to NCO training. I have been in mandatory recap rehearsals 10 times, about every two-three years apart. I think it was a good experience. Like some comments said below, this is kinda "joke" film about the service. I recommend this: kzread.info/dash/bejne/fnyAp7ttpazXntI.html