Military cost-savings reform in Finland
Finnish government announces massive cost-saving plan including closure of six defense units.
The cuts aim to meet the €200 million savings target set out in the Finnish Government program. According to the proposal, the reform will cut down wartime troops of the Finnish Defense Forces and reduce the number of personnel significantly.
Five brigade-level units are to be closed down: the North Karelia Brigade, Air Force Aircraft and Weapon Systems Training Wing, Engineer Regiment, Häme Regiment and Training Air Wing. The naval commands in their present form will be abolished and maritime surveillance will be concentrated in the Naval Operations Centre, reads the proposal. The Kotka Coastal Battalion will be disbanded and the training of the coastal troops will be concentrated in Upinniemi and Dragsvik. The air commands in their present form will be abolished and surveillance will be concentrated in the Air Operations Centre.
No units will be closed down in Lapland. The changes in the north are related to merging the Lapland Air Defence Regiment in Rovaniemi with the Jaeger Brigade in Sodankylä.
