ARTICLES

An overview from the perspective of Kari Rimpi, Lt.Gen(R

It is obvious that there is a sound relationship between Finland and Turkey. Within the scope of this strong and long lasting relationship between two countries, Mr. Kari Rimpi Lt, Gen(R) assessed Finnish Defence Policy, Finland’s intentions regarding NATO, Finnish Defence Industry, the cooperation between Finland and Turkey, objectives and upcoming opportunities to improve the cooperation.

Defence Turkey: First of all, Could you please inform us Finnish Defence Policy?



The guidelines for Finland’s defence policy have been given in our new White Book (Government Report on Finnish Security and Defence Policy 2009), which was approved by the Parliament in June.



The key task is to create the preconditions for a credible defence which is scaled to the security environment. Finland prepares to repel any use of military force against the nation or the threat thereof. The foundation of Finland’s military defence will remain unchanged: a robust defence system implemented in accordance with territorial defence principles, general conscription, international military cooperation and a strong will to defend the nation.



An evolving element of our defence policy is the capability and preparedness to provide executive assistance to the other authorities. The Defence Forces offer their broadest possible special expertise, capabilities and resources to society. According to the principles of the solidarity clause, Finland is prepared to provide military executive assistance also to the other EU Member States.



Finland makes a significant contribution to EU, NATO, UN and OSCE-led crisis management operations. Participation in international military crisis management bolsters Finland’s security and strengthens the national defence.



International cooperation is an essential part of our defence policy. This involves active participation in the ESDP and in the NATO PfP programme as well as increasing bilateral cooperation with the US. A new element is the deepening Nordic defence cooperation whose purpose is to rein in budgetary pressures induced by the rising costs of operations and defence materiel.



Defence Turkey: Is there any intention of Finland for becoming a NATO member? Will it prefer to develop its international cooperation towards EU or NATO in respect of future defence strategies/policies?



The possibility of joining NATO has been a long-term theme in our national debate. According to the recent White Book: “Also from now on, strong grounds exist for considering Finland’s membership of NATO. As regards a decision on possible membership, broad political consensus is essential, and it is important to take public opinion into consideration.” However, the incumbent government has declared that it will not apply for membership during its term. Currently, less than one third of the Finns support membership.



EU and NATO are both very important to us; we do not want to make any choices between them. We consider that the deepening of the ESDP strengthens Finland’s security, and we participate actively in the development and implementation of the ESDP. At the same time, we will continue to participate actively in NATO-led crisis management operations and in basically all the cooperation open to partners. The PfP cooperation is especially valuable from the viewpoint of developing our interoperability and military crisis management capabilities.



From the Finnish perspective, EU and NATO complement each other. We support closer EU-NATO cooperation in harmonising capabilities development as well as in crisis management.



Defence Turkey: It is known that Finland and the NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on mutual cooperation in key defence technology areas at June. How do you assess this development and could you please furnish our readers in details?



In Finland we believe that C3- area is very vital capability, its role is of particular importance in crisis managements operations and with regards to interoperability.



Finland has been participating actively in NATO Cooperation since becoming PfP Nation in 1994. Signing a MoU with NC3A has further enhanced our relations and co-operation with NATO. We see a lot of advantages on having a partnership with NC3A, since Finland has expertise with this particular area. Likewise, by having a MoU with NC3A we can exhanges information with other participating nations more easily. Co-operation will also offer possible new opportunies for our defence industry



Details of our participation are still under evaluation within Finnish Defence Forces and therefore can not be specified at this moment.





Defence Turkey: Could you please explain Finland's experiences with Nordic countries in terms of defence industry cooperation?



The Nordic countries have a long history of cooperation. Cooperation in the Nordic arena is natural due to common history, values and culture.



Nordic Armaments cooperation started in the 1990s. We cooperate in the field of armaments development and procurement. The purpose is to achieve financial, technical and/or industrial benefits for all countries. We have very good experiences of the cooperation.



The Nordic countries work together with the Nordic industry in order to achieve the above mentioned purpose. Common meetings are held annually and industry seminars every other year. The challenge is to involve the industry in common projects at an early state enough. The open dialogue between the industry and the administration has enabled better industrial participation in Nordic cooperation.



The role of the defence industry is different in each Nordic country. Nevertheless, the defence companies have been able to find partners in different Nordic countries. The best example is propably ammunition company Nammo, which was founded from a merger of ammunition activities of three major Nordic defence companies.



Defence Turkey: Could you please assess the position of Finland Defence Industry in global markets for our readers? What is your strategy to strengthen your position at international markets?



High Technology in Niche areas in Defence and Security Industry is perhaps the best way to describe and assess the position of the Finnish Defence Industry in global markets. Innovative solutions such as CBRN, Armoured Vehicles, Soft- and Hardware development e.g. in mobile technology are the key areas. Finnish Defence and Security Industry as a small but very agile and highly competent industry is currently strengthening their positions in the international markets by rapid networking as well as competing positions for High Tech sub suppliers as a partners with large international Defence Industry.



A technologically and economically competitive defence industry is one of the cornerstones of Finland’s national defence. Both the government and the industry recognise that technological competence and competitiveness are also the prerequisites for successful international cooperation, which has strong national support from the government and the industry.



Finland is fully open to international cooperation and we look forward to creating new forms of cooperation and partnership, in Finland or abroad. The Finnish industry has demonstrated its ability to adapt to the global challenges affecting the defence industry at large. Against this background, we are positive that the Finnish defence industry will be successful in further enhancing its role as a significant partner in the defence industrial business.



The Finnish defence industry has created an outstanding competitiveness in Europe and even worldwide in the production of some weapon systems. In addition to well known vehicles and weapon systems, tailored solutions using reliable and in-service proven dual-use products are the best that Finland can offer to the international defence market. We are positive that the Finnish defence industry will be a successful solution as a significant partner or single source supplier on the defence market.



Finland and innovative Finnish enterprises have much to offer to their international partners as well as having much to derive from their partner’s achievements.



Finland has fairly new Defence and Security Industrial Strategy. The vision of the Strategy is “The Finnish defence and security industry is specialized, competitive and networked in the international market. It contributes to security, national and international military capabilities as well as security of supply.”



In order to achieve the vision and the goals of the Strategy, the capacities and operational preconditions of the domestic industry must be improved. Moreover, the Strategy outlines several near-term measures to achieve these goals. Through cooperation, the public sector and industry jointly implement the Strategy.



The Defence Forces and industry must commit to shared long-term planning in order to improve industrial capacities. Instead of concentrating on production figures, they must strive for competence-based industrial expertise.



The Ministry of Defence is responsible for implementing this Strategy. The defence and security industry, for its part, executes the Strategy. This Strategy is a subset of the Materiel Policy Strategy of the Ministry of Defence. It will be reviewed approximately once every four years.







Defence Turkey: What is your opinion about the strengthening of Turkey's role in European defence cooperation?



We consider Turkey a European nation with remarkable military capabilities and expertise.



Finland has consistently supported non-EU countries’ participation in EU-led crisis management operations. We highly value Turkey’s significant contribution to EU operations. It is noteworthy that Turkey has long been one of the top contributors to the EU operation ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina.



Finland also supports Turkish participation in the European Defence Agency.



Defence Turkey: Finnish Defence companies such as Patria, Environics have participated some of the defence projects in Turkey in the last years. What can you say about the Finnish Defence company’s activities towards Turkey?



The activity has been quite limited so far. Few companies such as Patria and Environics have been involved in Turkey. The CBRN reconnaissance vehicles and Mobile CBRN Laboratory programs have been active last few years with Turkish Land Forces. Also underwater surveillance systems and armored vehicles have also been under discussions. We believe that there is much more potential to find several areas of interest with Turkish and Finnish partners.





Defence Turkey: Could you, please give us more information about mutual defence cooperation between Turkey and Finland in terms of joint production, joint research and development programmes?



Today there are many international Security and Defence related working groups where Finland as a PfP -county and Turkey as a member state of NATO do already work together. I think that this is an excellent base ground and Forum to enhance Finland’s and Turkey’s Defence cooperation in the future also in areas of joint research and development.





Defence Turkey: What is your strategy and short and long term plans for coming years to strengthen the defence cooperation between Finland and Turkey?



Finland cooperates with Turkey bilaterally, as a Member State of the European Union, and as a PfP country. We hope that Turkey will continue to be an active contributor to the ESDP also in the future.



Defence Turkey: What are your views and comments on the Turkish Defence Industry’s capabilities, position on international platforms?



We consider that the capabilities and position of Turkish Defence Industry on international platforms are well known with remarkable military capabilities and expertise.

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