Varusmiespalveluksen jälkeen asevelvollisuus jatkuu reservissä. Reserviläisiä voidaan lain mukaan kutsua kertausharjoituksiin määräajaksi. Reservin kertausharjoitukset perustuvat asevelvollisuuslakiin, ja ne ovat yhtä velvoittavia kuin varusmiespalvelus.

Every Finnish man is liable for military service (conscription)

Military service includes conscript service, refresher training, extra service and service during mobilisation as well as participation in call-ups and the examination of fitness for service. Call-ups form the first concrete step into military service.

The civic duty of military service is defined in the second chapter of the law on conscription (called Conscription Act). This duty affects all Finnish men and begins when a man turns 18. It continues till he reaches the age of 60. This means a man is liable for military service and that he is either in service, in the reserve or in the auxiliary reserve.

Reservists

Having completed their military service, conscripts are placed in reserve. Refresher courses are held to maintain and supplement the training received during military service. By law, every male Finnish citizen is liable for military service starting from the beginning of the year in which he turns 18 years old until the end of the year in which he turns 60.

The objective is to train key wartime troops with a five-year training cycle. About 35,000 reservists are trained each year. In addition, about 17,000 people are trained each year in supplementing voluntary military exercises provided by the Defence Forces or commissioned from the National Defence Training Association of Finland.

The overall strength of wartime troops is about 350,000 soldiers. Refresher courses form an essential part of the peacetime training system of the Defence Forces, and they have a significant impact on our country’s defence capability.

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