In December 2024, the Finnish Government published a Defence Report that examines the evolving defence environment and outlines key defence policy guidelines for maintaining and developing Finland’s defence capabilities as part of the NATO alliance. The report also defines Finland’s defence policy and military role in NATO, the EU, and broader international defence cooperation.
Only a few months have passed since the publication of the report, and during the spring of 2025, we have seen that Finland’s defence environment is rapidly changing. It is essential that these changes are continuously evaluated and that new strategic decisions are made when necessary. In this blog, I examine the Government Defence Report from the perspective of the defence industry.
When Russia expanded its war in Ukraine in spring 2022, President Putin referred to it as a “special military operation.” Later, his rhetoric shifted to emphasize tensions with Western countries.
By joining NATO in 2023, Finland became more firmly anchored to the West. The growing confrontation between Russia and the West is increasingly evident in Finland’s neighbouring regions, taking the form of widespread hybrid influence — from opinion manipulation and cyberattacks to sabotage, military pressure, and strikes on critical infrastructure.
In the past, warfare took place in three domains: land, sea, and air. In recent years, two new dimensions have emerged: space and cyber.
Over the past two years, we have observed strange developments in our surrounding region — damaged gas pipelines, severed cables, and daily cyberattacks. One must ask: Are we already witnessing manifestations of modern warfare in Finland and its surroundings?
With the environment continuously evolving, the risk of an expanded war in Ukraine cannot be ruled out. The risk of Finland becoming involved in a military conflict has also significantly increased. Russia’s broad-scale influence against Finland and other NATO member states continues.
Given the current operating environment, the Defence Report emphasizes that Western armed forces must be capable of sustained, high-intensity warfare. According to the report, Finland’s new defence strategy is based on strong national defence capability as part of NATO’s deterrence and collective defence.
Sustained high-intensity warfare demands vast quantities of critical military supplies. The ability to wage such warfare must be developed together with the defence industry — during peacetime and over the long term. Ensuring access to critical products is essential, which highlights the importance of domestic industrial production capacity to safeguard military security of supply.
According to the Government Defence Report, military security of supply is based on industrial capacity built in peacetime, skilled personnel, and pre-stocked materials. This must be considered from the perspective of the material demands of prolonged high-intensity warfare.
The challenge is significant and shared, but the report provides clear direction: the conditions for the defence industry’s operations must be improved, and its production capacity must be strengthened to ensure military security of supply.
An old principle states that the best preparation for exceptional circumstances is ensuring that normal operations closely resemble those during crises. It is encouraging to see that this idea is clearly present in the Government Defence Report.
The report emphasizes that industrial readiness depends on both production capabilities and skilled workers, and maintaining the right level of preparedness requires a steady and sufficient order backlog. The report further states that procurements should be directed to companies critical for security of supply. Also industrial production capacity for emergency conditions should be ensured through contracts and trial orders based on security of supply criteria. These policies are welcome reading.
The report also highlights that access to defence technologies and the ability to cost-effectively integrate new technologies into defence systems require national expertise and production capacity.
A viable and internationally competitive domestic defence industry plays a crucial role in safeguarding security of supply. This capability includes R&D, innovation, and the entire defence production chain — including subcontractors and contract manufacturers.
The report also stresses the importance of utilizing Finnish industrial expertise across Europe and supporting the internationalization and export potential of Finnish defence companies. These are excellent goals!
At the SecD-Day trade event in Helsinki in late January, it was clear that ensuring the capabilities, capacity, partnerships, and global competitiveness of the defence industry is now more important than ever. Preparedness, particularly in the defence sector, is built through collaboration — something that Finland, as a leader in readiness, deeply understands.
Mectalent is fully prepared to continue contributing to this important cooperation — and to invest when needed. We are a top expert in product development, precision mechanics, and advanced equipment manufacturing.
We have worked in the defence industry for over 20 years, serving as a contract manufacturer for some of the most well-known defence companies in Finland. Our strong design and manufacturing capabilities in precision mechanics include critical components, weapon system parts, and elements used in explosive production.
The third post in the blog series will be published in a couple of weeks, so stay tuned!
Aleksi Heikkilä
Defence Advisor
Mectalent Oy
Mectalent’s Defence Advisor Aleksi Heikkilä holds a Master’s degree in Military Sciences and has served in officer roles in the Finnish Defence Forces. In the business world, he has worked in security and the defense industry since 2015. Thanks to his career, Heikkilä has built an extensive network within defense industry companies, the Defence Forces, and Finland’s national emergency supply organization.
Sources used in this blog: