Salla Piira, a Finnish combat camera and conscript with Kainuu Brigade, poses in a woodline with her standard equipment during a Saber Strike force-on-force event at Vuosanka Training Area, May 19, 2026. From April 27 to May 31, 2026, U.S. and Allied forces will exercise NATO’s Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative, demonstrating NATO’s ability to fight and win on the modern battlefield. Nearly 15,000 troops from eleven nations will train across the High North, Baltic region, and Poland, executing rapid maneuvers, air defense, counter-drone operations, and cyber defense to validate NATO’s regional defense plans in real time. This series of linked exercises, including Saber Strike, Immediate Response, and Swift Response, turns investment into capability. Soldiers integrate unmanned systems, AI-enabled command and control, and live data networks to move faster, decide faster, and fight more effectively across all domains. Sword 26 demonstrates how U.S. Army Europe and Africa drives transformation at scale while strengthening deterrence. Together with our Allies, we are building a unified, lethal force ready to defend NATO territory and respond to any threat. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Addison Shinn)

Finnish conscripts submitted a record 43 initiatives at the latest Conscript Committee Days, with 37 approved for further consideration. According to Tamperelainen, many of the proposals focus on the financial strain of military service, including calls to restore demobilisation pay, double daily allowances, compensate food costs during leave, and cover expenses such as home insurance. Arttu Vuori, secretary general of the conscript committees, said subsistence concerns came up across all Finnish Defence Forces units he visited.

The list also highlights broader service-condition complaints, from uneven food quality and inadequate recovery after exercises to women’s equipment needs, including sports bras and better-fitting gear. Other initiatives include more rehabilitation in conscript healthcare, study leave for entrance exams, official certificates for completed military courses, and voting stations for parish elections in garrisons.

“In Vuori’s opinion, the abundance of suggestions for improvement indicates the commitment of the conscripts and the fact that there is plenty of room for improvement. (…) As Secretary General, Vuori was able to tour all brigade-level units of the Finnish Defence Forces. Livelihoods were a topic of discussion everywhere. Conscripts are financially tight, and many of the recent initiatives concern livelihoods. They propose, for example, the return of the repatriation allowance, doubling the daily allowance, paying meal allowance for holiday days and compensating for home insurance.”

He also points out the tough financial situation many conscripts find themselves in directly after service:

“The repatriation allowance is justified in the initiative by the difficult transition phase. When the army gate closes, many are left with nothing. Applying for a job or a place to study is difficult from the military. Those who return home in June will not be able to get a summer job either, because the season has already started earlier. Kela’s stricter practices, on the other hand, make it more difficult to receive benefits. (…) “Such factors, such as improving financial benefits and service conditions, may also make women interested in completing military service. We know that the age groups are getting smaller and women are also needed for service,” Vuori points out. (…) Vuori says that some of the initiatives will be implemented, but some may have to wait decades for their progress. For example, the inadequacy of conscripts’ daily allowances has been discussed since the 1980s.

One of the major costs he highlights is house insurance.

“The conscript’s daily allowance is very small, in 2026 it will be only 6.15 euros per day at the beginning of service. This makes mandatory expenses such as home insurance heavy for conscripts.Home insurance for a studio apartment typically costs about 120–200 euros per year, or about 10–20 euros per month, which is a significant amount for a conscript whose income consists of daily allowances. (…) At the moment, the daily allowance for conscripts is not enough to cover the expenses that arise during the holidays, for example, for food and other mandatory expenses on weekends.”

Another concern is around breaking the cycle of illness among conscripts.

“After a febrile infection, a mandatory, separately defined recovery period must be stipulated before returning to field conditions or strenuous physical training, and the granting of sick leave must be based on full recovery and not just fever-free. In addition, the indoor air reports of all barracks used by conscripts must be made public and measurements must be carried out regularly. Sufficient field hygiene must be ensured in field exercises. The length of the recovery period could be, for example, 24 hours.”

Read the entire piece in Tamperelainen.