Commander Wants to Cut Finnish Troops to Increase Equipment Budget

Finland's top military commander wants to cut the country's troop numbers by 100,000 to free up money for new weapons systems.

Admiral Juhani Kaskeala says cutting Finland's reserve forces from 350,000 to 250,000 would release funds that could be used for upgrading equipment, the cost of which grows by 8% a year.

"The personnel cutbacks could be put forward in the government's next report to the national parliament on security and defence policy," Kaskeala says.

"In my view, deciding on the defence force's future manpower level is one of the most important tasks of the report."