National Defense | Officer: “Free passengers” slip from military service in Finland – “It doesn’t fit into my sense of justice”

Military service avoidance has been made too easy in Finland and “free passengers” also kill others’ will to defend their country, claims the captain of the Guard’s Jääkärirykment Lauri J. Mattila.

According to Mattila, legal avenues are blatantly “used” to avoid military service. It is, for example, too easy to slip out of his service by citing fake health problems.

Mattila also disapproves of the fact that people often apply for civil service for reasons other than conviction – for example, just because “sivari” fits their life situation better. Mattila, on the other hand, blames those leaving the reserve for breaking their military oath.

Mattila writes about her views Military magazine in the latest issue (4/2024).

Mattila tells HS that the writing is based on her own observations. He has worked as a department foreman at the Uusimaa regional office in national defense work and call-ups.

“Because of my work, I have had a perspective on the subject.”

At the end of the article in the military magazine, there is a separate note that the opinions are the author’s own and do not represent the official position of the Finnish Defense Forces.

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“The conscription system should already be war-proof during peacetime.”

Mattila says that he wants to stir up a discussion about the “valves” of the Finnish military service system.

One third of legal men who reach conscription age do not join the army. A quarter do not perform any service.

This worries Mattila, especially in the current world situation. If some avoid service, it also has an effect on the motivation of those who conscientiously perform their service, he believes.

“If some succeed through dishonest means, the threshold for others to do the same is lowered. The phenomenon is no stranger than the effect of tax evasion on the general willingness to pay.”

In her writing, Mattila also wonders why the people of Åland do not participate in armed conscript service but trust that “mainland Finns will bleed even for the unwilling”.

Mattila is also disturbed by the fact that drug addicts and those convicted of serious crimes are “rewarded” by exempting them from military service.

“It doesn’t fit into my sense of justice.”

This is usually done because performing the service is safe for others.

Mattila is also worried that a man can avoid the army by confirming his gender to the Digital and Population Information Agency as a woman.

However, he does not know anyone who would have actually done this.

“Although the possibility is theoretical, the conscription system should already be war-proof during peacetime.”

In his article, Mattila also claims that the will to defend the country of people with an immigration background is weaker than that of native Finns. According to his observations, people with foreign backgrounds and those who speak foreign languages ​​more often fail to come to call-ups, and there are more deserters from the service compared to the general population.

Mattila also claims, “the differences between different ethnic groups are significant”.

However, Mattila does not want to open up his argument further, but says that it is not “the task of an individual grassroots official”.

HS asked Comment from the General Staff on Mattila’s claims. The interview was not successful, but a long written answer was delivered to HS.

Its message is clear: avoiding military service is not too easy in Finland.

“The Defense Forces trusts that the call-up process is comprehensive and that the assessment of serviceability corresponds as closely as possible to the conscript’s current operational capacity,” the response reads.

However, the answer admits that it is very possible that “a conscript will knowingly misrepresent his physical and/or mental condition in pursuit of his own benefit”.

Puolustusvoimat says that it respects the conviction of those applying for civil service, whatever the root cause.

Åland people are exempt from military service based on the law of their home region.

In Åland, there are about 150 men of draft age per age group, while the size of the national age group is about 31,000 men. Every year, about 10 men or women from Åland perform voluntary military service.

Confirmation of gender through the notification procedure has been possible since spring 2023. In its response, the Defense Forces says that it does not “profile” those who have confirmed their gender, and there are no plans to do so in the future either.

From the point of view of the Defense Forces, the matter is simple: If a person confirms his gender as female, he does not have military service. If he has already completed conscript service, his status as a reservist changes and he has the option to waive military service.

Mattila’s claims The General Staff responds to the weaker will to defend the country of people with an immigration background by reminding that the author’s opinions are his own.

“The Defense Forces does not separate or identify conscripts based on their different backgrounds, but treats all conscripts as equals,” the response reads.

The call-up system of the Defense Forces is currently being developed in collaboration with several ministries.

Among other things, there is a “national defense day” aimed at secondary school students, which aims to strengthen the will of the youth to defend the country. The health checks of invitations are also being reformed.