Conscription in Finland is part of a general compulsion for national military service for all adult males (Finnish: maanpuolustusvelvollisuus; Swedish: totalförsvarsplikt) defined in the section 127 of the Constitution of Finland.
Conscription can take the form of military or of civilian service. According to Finnish Defence Forces 2011 data, slightly under 80% of Finnish males turned 30 had entered and finished the military service. The number of female volunteers to annually enter armed service had stabilized at approximately 300.[1] The service period is 165 days, 255 days, or 347 days for the rank and file conscripts and 347 days for conscripts trained as non-commissioned officers or reserve officers. The length of civilian service is always twelve months. Those electing to serve unarmed in duties where unarmed service is possible serve either nine or twelve months, depending on their training.[2][3]
Any Finnish citizen who refuses to perform both military and civilian service faces a penalty of 173 days in prison, minus any served days. Such sentences are usually served fully in prison, with no parole.[4][5] Jehovah's Witnesses are no longer exempted from service as of February 27, 2019.[6] The inhabitants of demilitarized Åland are exempt from military service. By the Conscription Act of 1951, they are, however, required to serve a time at a local institution, like the coast guard. However, until such service has been arranged, they are freed from service obligation. The non-military service of Åland islands has not been arranged since the introduction of the act, and there are no plans to institute it. The inhabitants of Åland islands can also volunteer for military service on the mainland. As of 1995, women are permitted to serve on a voluntary basis and pursue careers in the military after their initial voluntary military service.
The military service takes place in Finnish Defence Forces or in the Finnish Border Guard. All services of the Finnish Defence Forces train conscripts. However, the Border Guard trains conscripts only in land-based units, not in coast guard detachments or in the Border Guard Air Wing. Civilian service may take place in the Civilian Service Center in Lapinjärvi or in an accepted non-profit organization of educational, social or medical nature.
- ^ Annual Report 2011. Page 29 Archived 20 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine Finnish Defence Forces
- ^ Siviilipalveluslaki (1446/2007) (Civilian service act), 4§. Retrieved 24 January 2008. (in Finnish)
- ^ Asevelvollisuuslaki (1438/2007) (Conscription act), 37 §. Retrieved 24 January 2008. (in Finnish)
- ^ [1] (Civilian service act), 74, 81§§. Retrieved 17 April 2013. (in Finnish)
- ^ Asevelvollisuuslaki (1438/2007) (Conscription act), 118 §. Retrieved 24 January 2008. (in Finnish)
- ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses lose exemption from military service". Yle News. 28 February 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
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