• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Finland Army (Maavoimat) Order of Battle - Peacetime

The land forces consist of the operating forces (60 000) and the territorial forces (225 000) [numbers as of 2007]. The peacetime strenght is 16,500 (including 7,500 conscripts). The total strength after mobilization is 285 000. The brigade-level units of the Army operate under commander of the military command and the Commander of the Army. Most brigade-level units are made up of battalion-level units which in turn are divided into company-level units. The commander of a brigade-level unit is usually a lieutenant colonel, colonel or brigadier general. The commander has extensive authority to organize the service and operations of the brigade-level unit. The main peace-time task of brigade-level units is to train peace and wartime troops for the Finnish Defence Forces. There are 15 brigade-level units in the Army, of which 13 are under the military commands. The Army Academy and the Utti Jaeger Regiment are directly subordinate to the Commander of the Army. The territorial forces are intended for monitoring of country areas, the protection of vital infrastructure and hold key terrain. Territorial forces consist of 7 Infantry brigades, 29 independent battalions / battle groups, and 170 territorial defence units.

	Army Command Finland Army Command Finland is located in Mikkeli. Around 260 people work at Army Command Finland in military and civilian duties. The task of Army Command Finland is to implement military and administrative tasks that are ordered by the Commander of the Army, or are otherwise significant for the Army. Army Command Finland coordinates the Army’s cooperation with the Navy, Air Force, Border Guard and various authorities, and is responsible for the Army’s international cooperation.
	Army Academy The Army Academy is a dynamic hub of military education, training and research. The Army Academy provides high quality basic and further education and training for the salaried personnel of the Finnish Defence Forces and carries out research project and develops practices. Further responsibilities involve operational planning and preparation, conscript training, voluntary defence training and fostering traditions.
	Reserve Officer School The Reserve Officer School is subordinate to the Commander of the Eastern Command. Since 1920, it has trained altogether over 169,000 reserve officers for the reserve of the Finnish Defence Forces. The Reserve Officer School is situated in the town of Hamina and is a part of the Hamina Garrison
	Signal Regiment The Signal Regiment is the most important communication and command system and electronics training centre of the Defence Forces. The units of the regiment are the South Finland Signals Battalion, the Signalschool and the Centre for Electronic Warfare, as well as the Headquarters and Logistics Centre, which are essential for administration and maintenance. The regiment has over 250 hired staff members and about 400 conscripts.
	Artillery Brigade The Artillery Brigade employs around 330 people. The brigade trains c. 1,800 conscripts, 1,000 reservists and 100 members of the regular personnel annually. The brigade trains conscripts and reservists in artillery brigade tasks, as military drivers, in Army reconnaissance and weather services, as military working-dog trainers, and military police. It provides regular personnel with artillery service branch training. It executes artillery brigade tasks as well as the Army's training, research and development tasks in reconnaissance. It executes the readiness missions it has been assigned. The brigade is responsible for the duties set for the garrison, and for the weather service in the Niinisalo area.
	Lapland Air Defence Regiment The Lapland Air Defence Regiment (LAPITR) is stationed at Someroharju, Rovaniemi, near the Arctic Circle. The main task of the Regiment is to train air defence and military police units with high levels of skill and performance for the protection of Air Force sites and readiness and Jaeger Brigades. Annually, around 750 conscripts complete their military service in the Regiment. The Regiment has around two hundred staff.
	Engineer Regiment The Engineer Regiment is a national education and development centre for engineering and CBRN. As an engineering unit, its task is to train conscripts and the recruited personnel of the Finnish Defence Forces and to develop research. The conscripts entering service at the Engineer Regiment are trained at the Central Finland Engineer Battalion. The Battalion’s task is to train effective wartime engineer and CBRN troops for all defence branches.
	Armoured Brigade The Armoured Brigade offers training with all fighting arms and in almost all branches of training available in the army. We train conscripts for more than a hundred different tasks. Almost 600 people are part of the brigade’s daily work, two thirds of whom have received military training and one third civilian training. At its most, the number of conscripts is nearly 1,700, of which 10–20 are women. Around 1,000 reservists are trained each year at the brigade’s facilities. Conscripts come from the regions of Häme, Pirkanmaa, and Päijät-Häme, but people willing to serve here are welcome from elsewhere as well. The main training equipment of the brigade consists of the Leopard 2 A4 main battle tank, the BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle, the 122 PsH 74 self-propelled howitzer, and the BMP-1 TJ fire control vehicle.
	Jaeger Brigade The Sodankylä-based Jaeger Brigade is the northernmost unit of the Finnish Defence Forces and specialises in Arctic training. It prepares troops for local operations in the demanding conditions of the Lapland region.
	Guard Jaeger Regiment The Guard Jaeger Regiment, based in Santahamina, is the Helsinki metropolitan area’s own regiment. The regiment’s main task is training troops specialised in urban warfare to defend the capital city. In addition to its training duties, the regiment is responsible for official Government functions, the organisation of voluntary national defence, and the handling of conscription matters in its area. Each year, approximately 2,000 new conscripts join the regiment.
	Utti Jaeger Regiment Army Special Forces Unit The Utti Jaeger Regiment is a special forces unit directly subordinate to the Commander of the Army. Its operations are guided by the three main tasks of the Defence Forces. A well-functioning entity, the Regiment is able effectively to meet the growing challenges involved in national defence, supporting society, and international crisis management. The Utti Jaeger Regiment consists of the Command Headquarters, the Special Jaeger Battalion, the Helicopter Battalion, the Support Company and the Logistics Centre. The success of the Regiment is based on highly motivated personnel, modern combat materiel and high quality conscripts.
	Kainuu Brigade The Kainuu Brigade is one of Finland’s largest military units in terms of the amount of conscripts. It is the readiness formation of the army in Kajaani, approximately three kilometres to the south of the town center. Around 3800 conscripts serve at the Kainuu Brigade yearly, and over 500 people are employed by the brigade. The Kainuu Brigade is the third largest employer in Kajaani. The Kainuu Brigade trains jaegers, rangers, gunners, engineers, signalmen, drivers and maintenance men in five different units.
	Karelia Brigade The Karelia Brigade is the Army Readiness Formation of the Eastern Command. Its main task is to train wartime troops for the Finnish Defence Forces. Another task of the Karelia Brigade is to maintain and further develop defence readiness in the Kymenlaakso area. The Karelia Brigade trains about 3,600 conscripts every year. About 600 salaried employees work in the readiness brigade. Almost one third of them work in civilian jobs.
	North Karelia Brigade The North Karelia Brigade is the only infantry-based garrison in the Eastern Finland. Garrison is located 20 kilometres from the city of Joensuu. The main task is to train conscripts and reservists into fit, competent and motivated wartime troops capable of operating in the conditions that are particular to eastern Finland. The goal is to develop our brigade to be a leading centre of infantry training, research and specialist skills.
	Pori Brigade The Pori Brigade is an Army Readiness Formation in the Western Command. The Brigade is located in the Huovinrinne garrison area in Säkylä. The everyday operations of the Pori Brigade are characterised by firm interaction between the domestic and the international. At Huovinrinne we train conscripts to defend Finland and shape volunteer reservists into professional peacekeepers for the hotspots of the world.
	Häme Regiment The Häme Regiment is an education and training center for support, logistics, reconnaissance, physical education and military music. It has students from all over Finland. The regiment also conducts research and development in these fields. Häme Cavarly Battalion, Sports School, Logistics School and Military Music School are battalion-level units that train personnel in the regiment. The Logistics Centre provides support to the battalion-level units.