Readiness battalion with their CV9030 (Photo: FDF) The Finnish Defense Forces have put an extra effort to increasing their readiness and capability to counter surprising threats after the Russian invasion of Crimea. This has been possible as the focus of the FDF has remained in the defense of the Finnish territory against the Russian threat and unlike the rest of the European armed forces it still maintains a reserve based army geared for high intensity warfare. Note the environmentally friendly wooden bullets in use (Photo:FDF) Recent report from the Swedish Defense Research Agency (FOI) suggests that Russia still has an edge over the NATO forces in Eastern Europe. The Russian forces have the advantage of better strategic mobility, faster chain of command and superior numbers in land combat. This disparity increases the risks of a military conflict in Northern Europe. The FOI estimates that the Finnish and Swedish effort in a fight against a Russian offensive in the ...
News and analysis from security and warfare related topics with the focus mostly on Russia and Scandinavia. Occasional de-tours to the current hot spots around the world can be expected. -Petri Mäkelä