Voluntary participation in national defence has received considerable attention in Finland since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. While participation in voluntary national defence and its associated organisations have been a part of Finnish civil society since independence, they have largely been overlooked in research conducted outside the armed forces, until now.

Conducted at the University of Eastern Finland, a new study reports that active reservists’ motivation to participate in voluntary national defence in Finland is driven by a wide range of factors. The most important motivator is the sense of community that reservists seek and experience through their involvement in voluntary national defence. Other key motivating factors include the threat posed by Russia, a sense of duty to contribute to national defence and the desire to influence society, as well as the wish to pass on values learned at home and show respect for the efforts of past generations who contributed to Finland’s independence.

The study explored active reservists’ motives to participate in voluntary national defence and the societal factors that influenced their participation. Drawing on data from semi-structured interviews, the study identified 12 motives that are presented as four first-person narratives illustrating how reservists’ motives are intertwined, as indicated below:

1) “The perception of a threat has made me think about my military skills and how I can participate in defending Finland.”

2) “I feel a sense of duty, and I see my contribution as valuable for society.”

3) “I experience camaraderie and unity with fellow citizens, even with people outside of my own socio-economic group.”

4) “I live by the values fostered in my childhood home, and I wish to pass them on to the next generation and protect my family.”

Four in five interviewees reported having formed new meaningful relationships through participation in voluntary national defence and feeling a sense of belonging. Many also felt increasingly confident about their fellow citizens’ willingness to defend the country, having realised that they are not alone in their conviction.

Numerous societal factors underpin reservists’ motivation. A particularly important factor is the division of responsibilities in the comprehensive security model, in which the role of reservists in national defence is itself a significant reason to participate. Alongside this internalised responsibility for national defence, the perceived threat against Finnish society emphasises the role of reservists and increases the perceived importance of volunteering in defending Finland.

Although voluntary national defence takes place mainly within various associations, it is intended to operate as part of the Finnish Defence Forces’ wartime troops. Being assigned to such troops creates a special relationship with others placed in the same troop and with the troop’s potential operational areas. More broadly, voluntary national defence has a strong local dimension. Participation is widely perceived as an activity rooted in local people and local strengths, which is particularly evident in the context of local forces. Reservists’ location within Finland and especially the distance from the Russian border also influences participation in voluntary national defence.

“The motives and the underlying societal factors reflect the breadth and diversity of voluntary national defence. The most widely shared motivator was feeling a sense of community. This indicates that reservists have diverse reasons to participate,” says the study author, Doctoral Researcher Antti Tiilikainen of the University of Eastern Finland.