Defence Command (Finnish: Pääesikunta; Swedish: Huvudstaben), organized as Headquarters (Finnish: Päämaja; Swedish: Huvudkvarter) during wartime, is the joint command headquarters of the Finnish Defence Forces and a central government agency. It has been active since 2 February 1918.
Role and Responsibilities
Defence Command is subordinate to the Chief of Defence, the commander of the Finnish Defence Forces. It leads and monitors the execution of the duties prescribed to the Defence Forces, including the military defence of Finland, territorial integrity, crisis management, and support to other authorities. The Command is responsible for planning and executing joint operations, as well as guiding and resourcing the three branches of the military (Army, Navy, Air Force), the Finnish National Defence University, and agencies under its control.
Organisation
Defence Command is led by a chief of staff, typically a lieutenant general, with four deputy chiefs of staff focusing on personnel, logistics and armaments, operations, and strategy respectively. As of 2015, the Command employed 328 military and 186 civilian staff. It is divided into ten divisions following a continental staff system, including divisions for operations, intelligence, logistics, personnel, strategy, and communications.
Subordinate establishments under Defence Command include:
- Legal Division (J9)
- Finnish Defence Forces C5 Agency
- Finnish Defence Intelligence Agency
- Finnish Defence Research Agency
- Shared Services Centre
- Defence Forces Logistics Command
History
Finland declared independence on 6 December 1917. Following the outbreak of the Finnish Civil War, General Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim was appointed commander-in-chief of the Government's forces. Defence Command was established as the Headquarters of White Finland's military in Vaasa by the commander-in-chief's day order number 1 on 2 February 1918. The Command has since been involved in all major conflicts involving Finland, including the Winter War (1939–1940), the Continuation War (1941–1944), and the Lapland War (1944–1945).
Location
Defence Command is co-located with the Ministry of Defence in the Kaartinkaupunki neighbourhood of Helsinki at the Guard's Garrison (Fabianinkatu 2). The building was designed by architect Carl Ludvig Engel and completed in 1822. It was destroyed during the February 1944 bombing of Helsinki in the Continuation War and was subsequently rebuilt, with additional buildings added in the 1960s.
