National Defense | Already more than 650 have applied to leave the reserve – Defense Minister Häkkänen's statement caused a spike

Clearly more than usual are still applying to leave the reserve. More than 650 reservists have already submitted applications during February.

Resignation applications began to increase for the Minister of Defense Antti Häkkänen (kok) from last Thursday's interview Kyrönmaa– magazine, and the situation has not returned to normal even on Monday.

Häkkänen announced that he would start taking action, that he could no longer leave the reserve. However, he softened his words the very next day.

Director of the Civil Service Mikko Reijonen considers it clear that Häkkänen's interview statements caused a spike in the number of people leaving the reserve in recent days.

On Thursday, 67 reservists applied for supplementary service, on Friday 293, on Saturday 116 and on Sunday 130. In these four days, a total of 606 people applied.

There have been requests to resign from the reserve even on Monday, with more activity than usual.

“By 11:45 a.m., 47 applications had come in. It seems that even on Monday there will be more than a hundred”, assesses civil service director Reijonen on Monday at noon.

Last the number of days is exceptionally high, because in January, according to Reijonen, there were a total of 225 applications. In the whole of last year, about 1,650 people left the reserve.

During the first four days of February, clearly more than a third of the entire previous year's number of applications came.

Leaving the reserve practically means that reservists apply for supplementary service.

Replenishment service is applied for by filling out a civil service application and submitting it to the regional office of the Defense Forces. In it, the applicant must assure that reasons based on conviction prevent armed service.

When the regional office accepts the application, the applicant moves from the Defense Forces reserve to civilian service. After that, the applicant must complete a five-day supplemental service.

Those who have left the reserve are released from the duties of the Defense Forces even during exceptional circumstances.

Minister of Defense Häkkänen said in an interview on Thursday that he was looking for ways to prevent leaving the reserve. He said that he would “find the posts in order” during the spring so that “running away” from the reserve would no longer be possible.

Häkkänen said that he considers leaving the reserve to be unpatriotic.

However, he softened his speech on Friday. At that time, he said that leaving the reserve is an individual grievance and he might at some point consider what to do about it.