Santeri Viinamäki / Wikimedia
Finland is committed to creating contingency plans that are not only military but also civil, with companies in the food sector being required by law to maintain reserves of critical goods.
If Finland ever faced Russian aggressionJanne Ahtoniemi would know exactly what to do.
It would spring into action immediately, but perhaps not in the way expected.
One might imagine that Ahtoniemi is a soldier in the Finnish army, but his preparation is actually related to his work in the supermarket chain S Groupwhich covers the entire country.
And, in the event that Finland is hacked or otherwise attacked, such as through a large-scale, country-wide cyber breach, S Group has a detailed plan of how it would help the national cause. It would need to ensure that the nation of about 5.6 million people maintains sufficient food supplies.
Other large companies across the country, also considered critical, such as defense, transport and cybersecurity companies, have their own detailed contingency plans to be followed in the event of a crisis, whether as a result of conflicts with other countries or challenges such as natural disasters.
“Finland’s strong security of supply is based on decades of consistent preparation and training“, says Ahtoniemi, responsible for risk management at S Group. “Companies understand this perspective and their own role in it. That’s why people and companies are willing to invest in supply security.”
The four Nordic nations – Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark – have followed a “total defense” strategy. This means there are plans for the military and civilian sectors to work closely together.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Finland has taken the lead and considerably strengthened this concept as well as the level of business involvement. Finland now calls it “comprehensive security“.
Considering that the country shares a 1340 km border with Russia, this change is not surprising.
The Finnish government outlined the new policy last year in a document called Security Strategy for Societywhich it describes as “the most important document guiding comprehensive security in Finland”.
Essential businesses participate in “preparedness committees” with representatives from local authorities and central government, and participate in national training exercises.
Preparations and planning continue not only for the possibility of a conventional war, but also for a nationwide cyberattackinterruptions in the supply of food and water or an attack on the financial system.
Ahtoniemi states that “participating in the exercises is a great investment for organizations”. Your company also cooperates with the National Emergency Supply Organization.
Rival supermarket group Kesko is also involved. “We want to do our part to ensure that Finnish society can function every day, regardless of the circumstances”, says Jyrki Tomminen, executive at Kesko.
“Companies develop contingency plans and collaborative exercises for different types of disruption scenarios.”
Both companies and others in the food sector are legally obliged to maintain strategic reserves of critical items such as flour, sugar and cooking oils. These items are stored in specific warehouses or underground bunkers with backup power generators.
Every adult in Finland is also expected to do their part when it comes to national defense, says Tom Woolmore, an expert on security in northern European countries. “It’s not theoretical, it’s very practical..”
The Prof. Frank Martela is an example of this. He teaches philosophy at Aalto University in Helsinki, but is a Navy reservist and can be called upon in the event of a national emergency.
As security is no longer limited to military power, his return to the Navy is not guaranteed. Instead, he believes he could be deployed to other roles, building on the skills and experience he has gained since his mandatory military service two decades ago.
“When something happens, they will tell me what to do“, he says while drinking a coffee in a cafe in Helsinki.
Dr. Jennifer De Paola, a psychologist at the University of Helsinki, says Finnish businesses and citizens are willing to do their part for two main reasons. Firstly, they trust the government and secondly, because Finns value the feeling of security.
As part of his research, he asked dozens of children aged 10 to 12 from across the country to draw happy and unhappy figures. Then he asked people to explain.
“I was sure I would find a strong association between happiness and fun, but instead I discovered that Finnish children associate happiness with a feeling of security and unhappiness to the feeling of insecurity.”
She says this focus on security persists into adulthood, meaning Finns value reliability more than most.
“We actually trust our institutions much more than in other countries. This includes our governments, ministries and politicians. There are a low level of corruption in Finland.”
Furthermore, the high level of social equality of Finland is important, adds Martela. “The more equal a society is, the more people trust each other.”
These values are fundamental to Finland’s resilience, says Woolmore.
Although trust levels are apparently high, Finns also know keep secrets when necessary. Ahtoniemi, from Group S, refuses to give details about the company’s plans in the event of war, explaining that it is “confidential information”.
The scenario is similar at Kesko, where a spokesperson states that “in line with our standard practice, we do not provide further details about our contingency planning”.
