Editing Finnish Defence Forces (section)

==Total defence==
The Finnish [[military doctrine]] is based on the concept of [[total defence]]. The term total means that all sectors of the government and economy are involved in the defence planning. In principle, each ministry has the responsibility for planning its operations during a crisis. There are no special emergency authorities, such as the U.S. [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]] (FEMA) or Russian [[Ministry of Emergency Situations (Russia)|Ministry of Emergency Situations]]. Instead, each authority regularly trains for crises and has been allocated a combination of normal and emergency powers it needs to keep functioning in any conceivable situation. In a war, all resources of society may be diverted to ensure the survival of the nation. The legal basis for such measures is found in the Readiness Act and in the State of Defence Act, which would come into force through a presidential decision verified by parliament in the case of a crisis.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.finlex.fi/fi/lainsaadanto/1991/1083 |title=Puolustustilalaki 1083/1991 - Ajantasainen lainsäädäntö - FINLEX ® |publisher=Finlex.fi |access-date=2017-02-18 |archive-date=2015-03-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330150602/http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1991/19911083 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The main objective of the doctrine is to establish and maintain a military force capable of deterring any potential aggressor from using Finnish territory or applying military pressure against Finland. To accomplish this, the defence is organised on the doctrine of territorial defence. The stated main principles of the territorial defence doctrine are
* general conscription,
* territorial defence,
* training of conscripts for wartime units,
* dispersed mobilisation, and
* flexible readiness in responding to military threats of various degree.

The defence planning is organised to counteract three threat situations:
* A regional crisis that may have effects on Finland.
* Political, economic and military pressure, which may include a threat of using military force and its restricted use.
* Use of military force in the form of a strategic strike or an attack beginning with a strategic strike aimed at seizing territory.

[[File:Finnish defence doctrine, territorial defence.png|thumb|400px|A figure illustrating the principle of territorial defence. The enemy is worn down from the border onwards, and the invasion force is stopped before it captures vital areas. On the sea border, the invasion is stopped on the coast. All services are used jointly to repel the aggressor.]]

In all cases, the national objective is to keep the vital areas, especially the [[Helsinki metropolitan area]] in Finnish possession. In other areas, the size of the country is used to delay and wear down the invader, until the enemy may be defeated in an area of Finnish choosing. The Army carries most of the responsibility for this task.

The key wartime army units in 2015 are:
* 3 Readiness brigades
* 2 Jaeger brigades
* 2 mechanised battle groups
* 6 Infantry brigades (regional)
* 14 independent battalions / battlegroups (regional)
* 28 [[Territorial Forces (Finland)]] / company sized (regional)
* Helicopter battalion
* Special Jaeger battalion

The total number of territorial and regional units is undisclosed.
The army units are mostly composed of reservists, the career soldiers manning the command and specialty positions.

The role of the Navy is to repel all attacks carried out against Finnish coasts and to safeguard the territorial integrity during peacetime and the "gray" phase of the conflict. The maritime defence relies on combined use of coastal artillery, missile systems and [[naval mine]]s to wear down the attacker. The Air Force is used to deny the invader the air superiority and to protect most important troops and objects of national importance in conjunction with the ground-based air defence. As the readiness of the Air Force and the Navy is high even during the peacetime, the career personnel have a much more visible role in the wartime duties of these defence branches.

The Border Guard has the responsibility for border security in all situations. During a war, it will contribute to the national defence partially integrated into the army, its total mobilized strength being some 11,600 troops. One of the projected uses for the Border Guard is guerrilla warfare in areas temporarily occupied by enemy.