Price Increases to Halve Finnish Defence Procurements

Finnish Government, Admiral Juhani Kaskeala, chief of the Finnish Defence Forces, said in a speech on Monday he was afraid price increases in defence material would lead to decreases in either the number of servicemen or the amount of equipment. 
 
Adm Kaskeala suspected procurements by the military would halve in the next decade, even if appropriations remained the same. 
 
He stressed in his speech in the opening of the National Defence Course that limited resources meant quality needed to compensate for quantity. He said Finnish military could acquire significant added value from developed information society expertise. 
 
Adm Kaskeala predicted Finland's wartime strength must be reduced by at least 100,000 soldiers during the next ten years. 
 
He lauded the importance of conscription and emphasised that Finland was not abandoning the doctrine of territorial defence.