Professor at the National Defense University Tommi Koivula hurts. Right now, he can’t remember the nickname of the cannon he stands in front of to be photographed. We are in the yard of the National Defense University in Santahamina, Helsinki.
The cannon is from the 19th century, it is called Hyppy-Heiki. Finland used it in the winter war, it was already old equipment then.
Tommi Koivula studies strategy and teaches it to cadets and future officers and doctors of military science.
Now Koivula is supposed to answer questions about what NATO changed in Finland, and what it is still changing.
Finland sought the protection of the defense alliance after Russia attacked Ukraine. Its member came from Finland on the fourth of last April.
– In the light of history, countries join NATO on a good day or a bad day. Finland joined at a rather difficult time. That’s why it happened quickly.
The union went without drama. The slip into the defense union was even so smooth that a big change elsewhere has been almost ignored.
According to Koivula, Finland’s national identity changed decisively. Or at least that should change.
Coping alone is considered a Finnish speciality, on which we have built our identity, Koivula explains.
– We have a winter war myth that has been pampered.
He considers the idea that Finland can manage alone even in crisis situations as a valuable and honorable tradition. It has empowered Finns.
But Koivula also wants to criticize the myth. Even though Finns think that Finland was alone during the winter war, the country received many kinds of help from abroad: weapons, volunteers, and political and financial support.
– We weren’t necessarily really alone. And now we are not alone either, but part of a bigger group.
In NATO, you don’t have to do everything yourself, but work is shared.
For example, Finnish airspace could sometimes be patrolled by planes from other Nordic countries as well.
Concrete cooperation could also be that, in a tight situation, NATO secures the sea routes of the Baltic Sea or offers the kind of military support that Finland does not have.
According to Koivula, now is the time to update the view of Finns’ national identity.
The essential thing about joining NATO is that Finland is not even formally alone, and that is a bit painful as well.
– Yes, there is probably a need for a national study of the soul.
Finland is now also responsible for others
Although even in NATO, Finland itself bears the main responsibility for defending its own country, in the alliance, a member also has bigger responsibilities.
Finland must also think about the safety of others. This is required by the NATO agreement, according to which countries must negotiate with each other if someone feels threatened. Help is given to those who have been attacked.
Finland practices helping others and the country joined the NATO command structure.
Finland must now show that it commits to NATO’s principles. Finland is scheduled to decide already this fall which countries on NATO’s eastern border it will send fighter jets and troops to.
There is political pressure for this from Finland and other countries.
The message to Russia changed
A mossy stone pyramid rises in the yard of the National Defense University. The year 1855 is engraved on the pyramid. It is a memorial from the Crimean War and at the same time a burial vault.
– It is the grave of 63 Russian soldiers, Koivula says.
Finland joined NATO to be safe from an aggressive Russia.
It has also changed how Finland tries to prevent Russia from attacking Finland.
As a non-aligned country, Finland tried to signal to Russia with its defense that it is not worth attacking here. Conquest would be difficult, slow and expensive because of Finland’s resistance, Koivula describes Finland’s long-standing way of communicating its defense.
That message started to feel unusable after Russia invaded Ukraine.
NATO replaced it with deterrence. It became the new basic issue of Finland’s military strategy.
– The message to the potential attacker is that we are all facing the unknown if you attack Finland.
The consequences of an attack can be harsh and unpredictable, and it can also turn out really badly for the attacker, Koivula says fearlessly.
Deterrence means joint defense of the countries belonging to the alliance and preparations for it, as well as missile defense and nuclear weapons.
– These are pretty solid pillars.
The relationship with nuclear weapons became contradictory
Finland’s relationship with nuclear weapons also changed. Or at least there are signs of change, the professor thinks.
– As long as there have been nuclear weapons, in Finland they have been seen as a problem of international security, which one day should be solved by means of disarmament and arms control.
However, when joining the alliance, Finland decided not to rule out anything in nuclear weapons policy. And now a Finnish official even sits on NATO’s nuclear weapons planning group.
In the professor’s opinion, Finland has not given up its principles, but since NATO’s deterrence is ultimately based on nuclear weapons, Finland has to rethink its relationship with nuclear weapons “in a somewhat new way”.
Finland has also left open whether it will participate in NATO’s nuclear weapons exercises. If it decides to participate, this will not be made public.
Last year, NATO nuclear weapons exercises were held in Belgium and 14 countries participated. According to NATO, the planes flew without real nuclear weapons.
There are now US troops constantly in Finland
Since the spring of 2022, there have been American troops in Finland practically the entire time.
There are obvious grounds for this, says Koivula. They are the military capabilities of the United States and its effectiveness in NATO.
– It would be a surprise if we didn’t try to strengthen this relationship.
The relationship with the United States continues to deepen, as Finland is currently negotiating a defense cooperation agreement (DCA) with the United States.
The agreement opened the possibility for the United States to keep material in Finland under certain conditions and to continue to bring its troops here.
When Professor Koivula has been filmed for this story in the yard of his workplace, he remembers the name of the cannon: Barbara. The name comes from the patron saint of artillery.
Finland once received the cannons as a donation.
– A bit like how aging equipment is donated to Ukraine now, Finland was also donated during the winter war.
Soldiers’ stories say that Santahamina’s donation cannons are aimed at the Supervisory Commission’s whiskey bottle in Hotel Torni’s bar.
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