The Defence Forces publishes wartime photographs on the internet
23/05/2013
The Defence Forces' Photographic Centre will publish around 170,000 wartime photographs on the internet. The collection "From the front line to the home front 1939-1945" can be found on the internet at the address SA-kuva.fi. The photographic material is made available to all Finnish people by the Defence Forces.
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Nordic Military Coordination Committee to meet in Helsinki
23/05/2013
The Nordic Defence Cooperation's Military Coordination Committee (MCC) will meet in Helsinki 15-16 May 2013.
The members of the coordination committee are high ranking officers that have been appointed by their chiefs of defence. The committee coordinates cooperation between Nordic armed forces at a military level. The MCC will be reviewing the results of its five subordinate cooperation area working groups and it will discuss the planning, development and future of Nordic defence cooperation.
The aim of Nordic cooperation is to strengthen the national defence of its members, to support their common strengths and help members find efficient common solutions.
The meeting will be held on the island fortress of Suomenlinna in Helsinki.
NORDEFCO has a rotating presidency. Finland has the presidency for 2013.
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Digital version of Finnish Defence Forces’ Annual Report 2012 now online
23/05/2013
This is the first time the Finnish Defence Forces’ have published their annual report in digital form. The online publication automatically recognises whether it is being accessed from a computer, tablet or smartphone, and adapts itself accordingly for easy viewing.
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Austria: The referendum on the abolishment of conscription and the present and future situation
14/05/2013
The ways of recruitment to the military vary notably from country to country. The Austrian Armed Forces dispose of a system based on conscription. On January 20, 2013, Austria held a public opinion poll on the abolishment of conscription. A public opinion poll is nothing else but a consultation of the Austrian citizens. Paragraph 49b on the Austrian constitution reads as follows: “(1) a public opinion poll on a matter of fundamental and overall national importance, which shall be implemented by federal legislation, must take place if members of the National Council present a motion for it or the Federal Government decides to do so after a preliminary debate in the Central Committee.” The result of a public opinion poll is not binding for the government. However, the Austrian government declared that it would respect the outcome of the consultation.
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An unusual visit to the Blue Brigade - JFC Commander of the Allied Joint Force Command in Szczecin
29/04/2013
19 th April - the 12th Mechanised Brigaded welcomed General Hans-Lothar Domröse JFC Commander (the Allied Joint Force Command) in Brunssum.
(In Europe, we have two Operational Commands of this type: one is located in Brunssum, the other in Naples. Currently there are 34 Polish soldiers serving in Brunssum.)
During a visit to the Blue Brigade the JFC Commander was accompanied by Head of Training of the Polish Land Forces General Marek Tomaszycki and Commander of the 12th Mechanized Division General Ireneusz Bartniak.
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Latvian National Guard guardsmen are getting ready for duty in the European Union Battlegroup
09/04/2013
The Latvian Government approved the National Armed Forces’ units participation in the European Union (EU) Battlegroup on January 29. This will be the first time when the Latvian Zemessardze (National Guard) guardsmen will participate in the EU Battlegroup; the duty will begin in the second half of this year.
Competition for participation in the battlegroup was very fierce. The selection process of potential candidates identified 1,669 guardsmen and approximately 80 guardsmen from seven battalions of the 2nd Zemessardze Region were selected.
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The BALTDEFCOL New Commandant Pays a Visit to Riga
26/03/2013
The Commandant of the Baltic Defence College (BALTDEFCOL) Major General Vitalijus Vaikšnoras paid a visit to Riga on 1 March. During his meeting with the Republic of Latvia Minister of Defence PhD Artis Pabriks and Latvian Chief of Defence Lieutenant General Raimonds Graube, Major General Vaikšnoras introduced his vision for the BALTDEFCOL development; the Latvian position on the progress of the BALTDEFCOL Higher Command Studies Course and the Civil Servants Course was also being discussed.
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