U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Chorin Weller, left, an assistant transmissions chief with 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, observes a Finnish Navy sailor with Coastal Brigade, Naval Reconnaissance Battalion, Naval Reconnaissance Company, demonstrate how to operate an RK 62M assault rifle during Finnish weapons and boat familiarization training as part of exercise Narrow Waters 26 in Upinniemi, Finland, May 15, 2026. The familiarization training increased interoperability between allied forces and improved the Marines understanding of Finnish maritime capabilities and weapons systems. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Hunter J. Kuester)

The share of Finnish men completing military service has fallen sharply over the past two decades. Among men born in 1994, 62.4 percent had completed military service by the end of their conscription eligibility in 2024, compared with 83 percent of men born in 1974. Around 15–16 percent of conscripts currently interrupt their service each year.

Read the entire piece in Yle.