Military Contribution

Finland is not a member of NATO, however still engaged in Afghanistan through the Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme. This implies that Finland’s presence in the country is not related to Article 5 in the Atlantic Treaty, its presence is rather motivated by commitment to the UN and its mandate for peace and security, and finally by Finnish national interest. PfP is a symbol of the expressed shared values and interests of the Euro-Atlantic relationship, in contribution to credible national self defence and security policy.

Finland has participated in ISAF since the launch of the operation, and is currently focusing its efforts in the Swedish-led PRT in Mazar e-Sharif, in the north of Afghanistan. Finland has withdrawn its contribution to the Civil Military (CIMIC) unit in Kabul. There are currently four civilian experts posted in the Finish Embassy. These experts include one police advisor, one political liaison officer and two development advisors, all of which help evaluate the needs for development projects and reconstruction efforts in the province. This arrangement is the same as in the other Nordic countries. The Finnish military contribution amount to 100 troops and the maximum capacity at present time for the Finnish Armed Forces is 119 troops. The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs expects that the military contribution to Finland will increase slightly in the next few years.

                             Photo: YLE

To learn more about the Finish minitary contribution, please visit:
http://formin.finland.fi/public/default.aspx?nodeid=32299&contentlan=2&culture=en-US