Interest in voluntary defense work is at a record high in Finland. So high that it is even found among the population on the "islands of peace," the demilitarized region of Åland.
2024 marks the second full operational year for Ålands Reservister rf. The question of whether the association would be allowed to exist at all was decided in the summer of 2022 after both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense provided statements to the State Office on Åland, where it was noted, among other things:
"The Ministry of Defense does not consider that the aforementioned association's activities would conflict with Åland's demilitarized and neutralized status according to the 1921 convention on the non-fortification and neutralization of the Åland Islands (Treaty Series 1/1922) and the 1940 agreement between Finland and the Soviet Union on the islands' demilitarization (Treaty Series 24/1940). Both conventions establish limitations for state actors and armed forces. This means that the aforementioned conventions do not apply to private individuals and private associations unless they have a direct connection to the defense administration."The association has slowly grown larger and now numbers just over 100 members, despite not having organized many local activities over the years. However, the association has actively marketed and arranged group trips from Åland to mainland Finland, where hundreds of Ålanders have participated in the basic courses in military skills organized by the defense training association MPK.
The courses are normally held from Friday to Sunday and are conducted in point training form where, in groups, participants receive a quick course in various basic military skills over 2.5 hours per point. Examples of training points include mining and charges, anti-tank weapons, NLAW, and so on. What has been very gratifying to see is the diversity of the participants' backgrounds. These are not courses for military enthusiasts, but the participants have represented a cross-section of the Åland population. The fact that the participant base has been so broad, which has been noted in both national and local newspapers, has effectively defused any potential criticism of participation in this type of activity, which would otherwise have been completely foreign among Ålanders.
We face certain challenges with regulations in national legislation where, among other things, I personally lobby for change. Current legislation does not allow non-conscripts to participate in the Finnish regional troops, and Ålanders are not conscripts today. However, the reason for the exemption has nothing to do with Åland being demilitarized but is primarily a language protection issue. The language protection concerns the fact that Åland is legally monolingual Swedish, while the command language in the Finnish Defense Forces is Finnish.
However, the defense report presented by Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen in November, with a little imagination, opens the door to change in the right direction!
One of the association's primary goals since its inception has been to organize sport shooting in the form of Applied Reservist Shooting (SRA – Sovellettu Reserviläisammunta). We have not yet achieved this goal, but we have high hopes that it will happen in 2025! Moreover, one of the absolute highlights of the year was when five of us were given the opportunity to participate in the Applied Service Shooting Championship in early November at the Dalregiment in Falun! This occasion was not only an opportunity to compete but the brief meetings with new people and the conversations between stations were incredibly interesting. An exchange in the form of competition invitations between Åland and Sweden now seems inevitable!
Exchange and cooperation are something that could (and should) certainly be further developed. I have had the privilege of meeting some Swedish Home Guard members at MPK's courses in Finland, which has been very enjoyable. It is always interesting to discuss practical details, why you do things one way and we do them another, and how much is actually similar. Where we are headed, I do not know, but I know that more than just me have glanced at the HvSS course catalog!
2024 has been a year of growth and cooperation for Ålands Reservister rf. With over 100 members and a strong presence in MPK's courses, we look forward to continuing to grow and strengthen our activities. In 2025, we hope to realize sport shooting in the form of SRA and deepen cooperation with our new Swedish contacts, which can become an important part of our development. Together, we continue to create a strong foundation for voluntary defense work – even on the islands of peace.
Jonas BackChairman, Ålands Reservister rf