Finnish troops trained in tactics officers say would fail in war

Finnish conscripts are being trained in outdated combat methods that would not work in a war, according to anonymous officers interviewed by Helsingin Sanomat. Yle reports that the Finnish Army’s training chief considers some of the criticism justified.

The officers said a conservative attitude, problems with drone equipment and the short length of conscription have slowed changes in training.

They criticised the combat methods used by Finnish infantry and mechanised units. Mechanised units are soldiers who travel in tanks and armoured personnel carriers.

Moving and attacking as a single group of several hundred soldiers is not considered effective in an era of drone warfare, the Helsingin Sanomat report said, because large groups are easy to detect.

Colonel Mikko Saarelainen, the Finnish Army’s training chief, acknowledged to Helsingin Sanomat that soldiers should be able to operate in smaller and more dispersed patrols than they do now.

According to the officers, the drones currently used in exercises are not suitable for training because of their capabilities. Saarelainen and an anonymous officer also said drones were not being used in exercises in an appropriate way.

The officers interviewed by Helsingin Sanomat said conscripts should serve for longer periods. The transfer of new methods to conscripts has also been slowed by established training practices, and one interviewee said there was insufficient support for change.

According to Helsingin Sanomat, the officers also understood that practices followed for decades would not change overnight.