VEKARANJÄRVI, FINLAND – Do you have three days worth of bottled water, food and medicine in your home? What about a radio, torch or duct tape? These are some of basic supplies that all Finnish people are instructed to maintain as part of the country’s radical civil preparedness plan.
Finland, which shares an 830-mile border with Russia, takes a whole-of-society approach to defence and security.
National service is mandatory for Finnish men and voluntary for women, with around 20,000 conscripts undergoing the programme each year. They can choose to undertake either military or non-military service, which involves a placement at a public sector institution like a school or hospital.
Shorts
On completion, conscripts are automatically transferred to the reserve forces. This model means Finland could call up close to one million people to fight if required – nearly 20 per cent of the entire population.
