Speech by the President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen at the Cadet Promotion and Appointment Ceremony at the Presidential Palace, 18 April 2008

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Cadets!

I congratulate you on successfully completing your officer training. I hereby promote you to the rank of Senior Lieutenant and appoint you to positions in the Defence Forces and the Frontier Guard.

You are embarking on your career in an anniversary year. Your predecessors in the Finnish Defence Forces have been protecting this land and its people for 90 years. More than the last six decades of this time have been a time of peace. But this has not diminished the importance of the Defence Forces. The new Act on the Defence Forces, which entered into force at the beginning of this year, clarifies their duties in our modern society. Maintaining a credible national defence remains the most important of these, but the Defence Forces must also have the capacity to support other security and civilian authorities in the case of a crisis or other situation which threatens to compromise our security.

We subscribe to a broad concept of security, both in Finland and in our international duties. Finland will continue to participate in international crisis management duties and in developing defence cooperation. Closer cooperation is being explored at the moment with Sweden and Norway. The purpose of international cooperation is to improve cost-efficiency and to reinforce both national and regional security.

Internationalism helps build our national security. Many of you will be engaging in crisis management or other duties abroad, or in training people for these duties here in Finland. Our special expertise in international crisis management is looking at the big picture. We build peace instead of fighting a war. Cooperation between civilian and military actors has always been important for Finland. At the Afghanistan session in Bucharest two weeks ago, all participants emphasized the importance of this comprehensive crisis management which for us is self-evident.

With new demands and duties, the Defence Forces have reformed themselves, and this process will continue during your careers. The purpose of this structural reform is to anticipate changes in Finnish society and in our security policy environment. Successfully carrying out this reform requires maintaining an appropriate balance between continuity and change. Good and useful functions need to be retained, and new functions must be designed to last. Reports and other long-term planning measures govern the development of the Defence Forces. The needs of a credible defence on the one hand, and financial constraints and the challenges of training on the other, must be taken into account realistically.

It seems to me that general conscription and our ability to defend our entire territory must be retained as the core of our defence system. A high level of expertise, the will to defend, speed, flexibility and the ability to concentrate forces are means with which we can respond to operational requirements nationwide.

Therefore it remains necessary to train all eligible members of each age group in order to maintain a credible defence. However, age groups are growing smaller, and conscript training must be further developed. Many of you will be training conscripts and will thus need to be able to convey the fundamental principles of Finland’s national defence to all the young men and women who enter military service.

Principal and staff of the National Defence College!

I want to thank you for the work you have carried out with such credit. It is thanks to you that officer training in Finland is the highest level by international standards. In your training and leadership activities you have provided these junior officers with a sound basis for success in a demanding profession.

Officers!

I wish you all every success in your duties.