As Finland, a Nordic country, completed formal accession procedures to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a military alliance between the United States and Europe on the 4th (local time), Finland’s military power is also drawing attention.
According to foreign media on the 4th (local time), Finland’s annual military budget is about 6 billion dollars (about 7.86 trillion won). Thanks to the conscription system, Finland can immediately deploy 280,000 troops in wartime and has a reserve force of 900,000.
Moreover, some of the Finnish forces have combat experience, having served as part of the Western Allied Forces in Afghanistan.
Finland has already increased defense spending to 2.25% of GDP this year (1.96% by 2022), achieving the defense budget target of ‘2% of GDP’ recommended by NATO to each member state.
In terms of equipment, Finland has approximately 239 main battle tanks, of which 179 are ready for action. Among them are 100 each of the German tanks Leopard 2A4 and Leopard 2A6. Some of these tanks are expected to be sent to Ukraine to support the spring offensive.
In addition, Finland has more than 100 Swedish-made CV-90 infantry tanks, which are considered to be the most powerful infantry tanks. Currently, these tanks are also being delivered to Ukraine.
Its artillery capability is also among the best in Western Europe. Finland has more artillery than Germany and France combined. Finland is focused on the use of devastating mobile artillery and has more than 100 self-propelled artillery pieces, including 39 Korean-made K9 Thunder cannons.
It also has 29 tracked M270 multiple launch rocket systems. Together with the wheeled and more mobile High Speed Mobile Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), they are helping to strike Russian forces in Ukraine.
Timo Kibinen, commander of the National Guard of the Finnish Army, said in December of last year, “We have the ability to normally defend in the event of a war in Ukraine and similar situations.
Matty Pesu, a senior researcher at the Finnish Institute for International Studies, also analyzed that “Finland is sufficiently good in terms of overall capabilities, but Finland’s NATO membership will facilitate the defense of the entire region.” He added, “The Finnish Army and Ground Forces will serve as the backbone of the Allied Ground Forces in Northern Europe.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine has expressed its desire to join NATO since the Russian invasion in February last year.
Following Finland’s accession to NATO, President Zelensky said, “NATO is the only security mechanism that can effectively counter a Russian invasion. We expect the NATO summit in Lithuania to bring Ukraine closer to its Euro-Atlantic goals.” he emphasized.
President Zelensky has been invited to the NATO summit in July.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) predicted that at the July meeting, President Zelensky would call for progress on Ukraine’s membership, and heads of member states would prioritize the issue.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.