The Finnish Government has submitted to Parliament a bill amending the Conscription Act and the Act on the Finnish Defence Forces, aiming to strengthen the military’s ability to train and operate alongside NATO allies.

The bill, approved on 12 November 2026, would remove the requirement for separate consent when assigning persons liable for military service who are taking part in refresher exercises to military exercises, training or service duties in regions close to Finland. Those regions are defined as the Baltic Sea area and the territories of Sweden and Norway, both of which are linked to Finland’s defence through NATO membership and geographical location.

For conscripts or reservists participating in refresher exercises who are assigned to military exercises or training outside Finland in areas beyond those defined as close regions, their express consent would still be required. The objective is to improve the Finnish Defence Forces’ capacity to exercise and operate jointly with allied nations.

The bill also proposes replacing the current rank- and training-based caps on refresher exercise days with a single general limit of 200 exercise days for all persons liable for military service. The change is intended to promote equality among those liable for service and allow the Defence Forces to make fuller use of reservists’ specialist skills.

Amendments to the Act on the Finnish Defence Forces would clarify the obligation of Defence Forces public officials to take part in international tasks and would permit a Finnish contingent on an international mission to be placed under a command structure outside the Finnish Defence Forces. Provisions on employment terms related to international cooperation were removed from the bill and will undergo further preparation separately.

The amendments are scheduled to enter into force on 1 July 2027.

Source: defmin.fi