In 2023, Finland

will spend twice as much on defense as in previous years.

The government announced an order for missiles from the US, Israel and Sweden, as well as howitzers from South Korea.

This is reported by rmf24.pl.

According to the 2023 budget, defense spending in Finland will amount to around 6 billion euros in the next few years.

While in 2020, the country's government planned to allocate about 3 billion euros to the armed forces. 

As noted, several large arms orders for long-range missile systems, anti-tank defense and air defense were announced in November and December.

According to experts, such steps should bring the combat capability of the Finnish army to a new level.

"It's a big scale," commented former head of military intelligence, Major General Pekka Toveri.

It is noted that Finland orders air-to-air missiles from the USA.

In Israel, the armed forces will order long-range anti-tank missiles and rockets for 122 mm rocket launchers for approximately 300 million euros.

Acquisition of rockets 

will help strengthen

weapons and 

capabilities of the army

, said the head of the Ministry of Defense of the country, Antti Kaikkonen.

"We decided that air defense is the area where we need reinforcements," added the head of the country's Ministry of Defense.

As Yle clarifies, the Ministry of Defense of Finland announced that the country intends to purchase short- and long-range missile complexes for the amount of about 223.6 million euros without VAT.

Procurement also includes ammunition, training equipment, technical equipment, training, documentation and spare parts.

It is not specified with which country Finland agreed, but it is said that it is 

took place after the US approved Finnish defense purchases worth 1.2 billion euros.

Finnish artillery troops will also receive a batch of self-propelled howitzers from South Korea.

The purchase price is more than 130 million euros.

For the needs of the Navy, together with Sweden, they will also order ammunition for naval artillery systems. 

"Today, increased defense spending also has broader public support. Almost two out of three Finns believe that the armed forces need to be equipped. Last year, one in three Finns held this view," said a report published in early December by the National Defense Planning Council. .

It is explained that even before the start of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, namely at the end of 2021, Finland decided to purchase 64 American F-35 multi-role fighter jets, which is the largest arms order in the history of the country (over 8 billion euros; annual costs of about 1 .5 billion euros).

It will be recalled that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced that the

formal accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO will soon be completed.

The countries have fulfilled all the conditions for joining NATO.

As reported, the US leadership allowed the sale

of $323 million worth of weapons

to Finland to strengthen the country's defense capabilities.

We are talking about tactical missiles and aerial bombs.

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