Unique attitude regarding Finnish military

[Devildoc]

I don't think the way the US military is structured would make this a good model for us, but I really like how the Finnish military focuses on service as an act of citizenship.

Finland wins admirers with all-inclusive approach to defense | Europe | DW | 04.10.2017

 

[Marauder06]

Interesting article. Finland doesn't have a particularly capable military. They, like most of the EU, habitually underspend on defense. I applaud their citizenry's willingness to take up arms, but enthusiasm isn't the same as capability.

 

[Devildoc]

Interesting article. Finland doesn't have a particularly capable military. They, like most of the EU, habitually underspend on defense. I applaud their citizenry's willingness to take up arms, but enthusiasm isn't the same as capability.

I agree; what I took away was, do more with less, understanding and exploiting the citizen-soldier mindset, and tapping into nationalism. It kind of reminded me of the pre-WWII army, where there were few active duty but far more reserves and national guard. I agree that given it's size and budget they lack significant capability, and technologically any foe they fight, they can't fight the same way they did the USSR with skis and bicycles and WW1-era rifles.

 

[Florida173]

They could learn a bit from their Scandinavian neighbors.

 

[Devildoc]

They could learn a bit from their Scandinavian neighbors.

The rest of your post disappeared. What can they learn?

Not being argumentative, enquiring minds want to know. Also, in full disclosure I have a bit of a bias re: Finland as my father was second gen American from Finland.

 

[Florida173]

The rest of your post disappeared. What can they learn?

Not being argumentative, enquiring minds want to know. Also, in full disclosure I have a bit of a bias re: Finland as my father was second gen American from Finland.

Nothing disappeared.

On the note of capabilities as @Marauder06 stated. The Scandinavians have proven themselves capable of forward projection outside of NATO/Balkans areas. Specifically with regards to the Swedes and Norwegians.

And I suppose in an effort to provide some disclosure, my mother is 1st generation Canadian from Denmark/Sweden. But I don't think there's any bias here, just objective criticism.

 

[Devildoc]

And I suppose in an effort to provide some disclosure, my mother is 1st generation Canadian from Denmark/Sweden. But I don't think there's any bias here, just objective criticism.

I know you didn't type anything else; I just wanted you to expound on your claim.

Given that regardless of where my folks are from and that I am 100% red, white, and blue, I have to listen to my Finnish family talk about how pathetic the rest of their Scandinavian neighbors are; my wife is 3rd gen Swedish, and I have to hear from her people how assholish Finland is.

 

[AWP]

It kind of reminded me of the pre-WWII army, where there were few active duty but far more reserves and national guard.

And that is an utterly disastrous model to follow. Your observation is sound, but any nation carrying out that "plan" is destined to have a lot of dead folks if the balloon ever goes up.

Rick Atkinson in An Army at Dawn covers this rather well IMO.

 

[Devildoc]

And that is an utterly disasterous model to follow. Your observation is sound, but any nation carrying out that "plan" is destined to have a lot of dead folks if the ballon ever goes up.

Rick Atkinson in An Army at Dawn covers this rather well IMO.

I agree, and it was an observation, not an endorsement. It almost didn't work out too well with us, and worked only because we had the number of military-aged males to draft and pull it off. It was almost as near-disastrous a decade later when Korea went down after Truman slashed military spending from over 40% of the GDP to 4%.

 

[Robal2pl]

The legend of Finland's victory against the Soviet Union in the Winter War of 1939 credits the outnumbered Finnish soldiers with being tirelessly creative, able to attack by ski, even carrying bicycles on their backs if they needed to cross varied terrain.

It makes me wonder, does this legend takes into account what happened to Soviet Army before Winter War started? During Great Purge, majority of Soviet flag officers were killed or removed from military, and quality of any training was terribly low.

 

[ThunderHorse]

It makes me wonder, does this legend takes into account what happened to Soviet Army before Winter War started? During Great Purge, majority of Soviet flag officers were killed or removed from military, and quality of any training was terribly low.

It was a different time. Finland was basically in a hostile posture with the Soviet Union for the entirety of the period between the Finnish Civil War and the Winter War.