Finland Army History - Cold War
The end of the war led to a re-evaluation of the security foundations in Finland. The YYA and the Peace Agreement, as well as military experience and technical and tactical developments, were new issues to consider. The 1952 organizational reform sought to bring all troops and weapons under a regionally unified leadership. The brigade became the General Forces of the Armed Forces.
The idea of establishing a Defense Council in the late 1940s as an advisory body for defense was not realized until 1957. In addition to selected ministers, the Defense Forces Commander and Chief of Staff became members of the Defense Council. In 1950, a new conscription law came to light, with minor changes until the 1980s. It set 240 days for conscript service and 330 days for trainees and officers. The new law also provided the basis for the development of education.
In the 1950s, the military industry was undervalued. Other educational institutions were invaded, but military training did not interest. The Defense Forces had to come out of the shell it had curled up after the war. Efforts were made to improve the training of the base personnel and to increase the value of the Defense Forces. In 1962, so many people finally applied for the Cadet School, so the crowd had to be eliminated.
The 1957 reforms were the new provincial names for the mass departments. At the same time, new flags, honor marches, anniversaries and traditions were introduced. In 1963, the name of the Defense Department was born, a red tower with a golden coat of arms on it. The era of rural garrisons began in the 1960s. It was felt that it would be easier to train conscripts outside cities as the transition to training terrain was faster. The garrison was formed in Upinniemi, Kontioranta, Ylämylly, Luonetjärvi, Säkylä, Valkeala and Sodankylä.
The Defense Department's armament was renewed in the 1950s and 1960s. The assault rifle and light machine gun were developed to replace the obsolete rifle, sniper rifle and submachine gun. Valmet's Tourula plant developed new weapons rk m / 62 and kvkk m / 62. Obsolete tank vehicles were replaced with purchases from Russia and the UK. The field artillery was supplemented with a 122mm heavy cannon developed in cooperation with Tampella.
In the mid-1960s, Finland's defense began to become an increasingly integral part of state security policy. The first parliamentary defense committee was established in 1970 to comment on developments.
The Armed Forces Act of 1974 largely followed the recommendations of the Committee's report. The Defense Department received statutory duties over its 55-year history. At the same time, its name changed to the armed forces.
From the mid-1960s onwards, Finnish defense doctrine began to gain more features of war or crisis prevention. The intention was to expand the defense arrangements to include nationwide regional defense. This happened in 1966, when the Defense Department moved to a military medical organization. New operational and tactical instructions evolved in the early 1970s. The new doctrine was depicted in a drawing where the local defense formed the floor. On top of that, the security forces delayed and the main forces continued attacking to find a solution.
Declining categories of conscripts led to changes in the composition and placement of troops in the late 1980s. Old troops were discontinued or merged with other troops. Amendments to the Military Conservation Act changed duration of service, age and dates of enlistment. Military service lasted either 240, 285 or 330 days.
After the Cold War
The status of the Armed Forces changed significantly in 1990, when the Council of State considered that the restrictions on Finland's sovereignty as enshrined in the Paris Peace Agreement had lost their significance except for the ban on atomic weapons. The Finns were able to decide for themselves the number of men, the number of aircraft, the number of aircraft and the quality of the missiles.
The most recent restructuring in the armed forces began with the completion of the Defense Policy Report in spring 1997. During the review of the command and control system, the General Staff's ability to lead all branches of the defense was improved. The role of the defense areas became more central as they gained more responsibility in leading the regional battle and mobile warfare.
The aim was to ensure the functioning of a system of conservative defense. The main thing was the quantitative reduction and qualitative development of the wartime troops. The technical level of defense was also to be raised to the level of the coming decades.
In 2012–2015, the Defense Forces renewed their operations. The core objective was to ensure that the Armed Forces have the capacity to fulfill their mission and to maintain Finland's military defense capability at an appropriate level until the 2020s. The change covers the structures and methods of operation of the Armed Forces during war and peace.
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