Finland Sends Military Notices to 900,000 Amid Tensions with Russia
Sunday, May 24, 2015 11:00 AM
By: Greg Richter
Finland has sent out notices to its 900,000 military reservists, telling them where they should report should there be a crisis demanding it.
The notices were mailed to every adult male of military age, which generally includes men ages 18-40, though some with specialized training remain on the roster until age 50 or 60, Examiner.com reports.
The government also is broadcasting a film on television letting men know that "conscription is the cornerstone of Finland’s defense capability."
Finland is about the size of New Mexico and about 30,000 men are called up to active duty for one year of service in addition to its full-time army of only about 8,000.
Finnish officials deny the move has anything to do with recent tensions with Russia, which shares an 833-mile border with Finland.
"The aim of this isn’t to give out sort of message at all" to Russia, Defense Minister Carl Haglund said.
"The reservist letter is associated with our intention to develop communications with our reservists, and not the prevailing security situation," a Finnish Defense Forces spokesman told broadcaster YLE.
Still, the Examiner points out, it is the first time Finland has talked about a draft since 1939, when its vastly outmanned army defeated an attempted Russian invasion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated he believes Finland ' "should rightfully be under Russian control," according to his former Chief Economics Adviser Andrei Illarionov. Russia itself has never made that claim.
http://www.newsmax.com/World/Newsfront/Finland-military-notice-tensions/2015/05/24/id/646500/
