Finnish Frontier Guard - Definition and Overview

The Frontier Guard (Finnish: Rajavartiolaitos) of Finland is subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior.

The Frontier Guards manpower is 3600 personnel, which includes 500 conscripts. Upon mobilisation the Frontier Guard will be incorporated into the Finnish Defence Forces and increased to about 23000 personnel.

Main duties of the Frontier Guard:

• Guarding the land borders and territorial waters of Finland.
• Passport control at border crossing points, airports and ports.
• Rescue operations (mainly at sea).
• (during wartime) Long range patrols and guerrilla tactics behind enemy lines.

Equipment

The Frontier Guard operates:

• 8 Offshore patrol vessels
• 60 Coastal patrol crafts
• 2 Do-228 MP aircraft
• 3 AS.332 Super Puma helicopters
• 4 AB-206 helicopters
• 4 AB-412 helicopters

History

At the start of the Winter War there were nine Frontier Companies (Rajakomppania) on the Karelian Isthmus. North of Lake Ladoga the Frontier Guards were combined into six Detached Battalions (Erillinen pataljoona). Further north in Petsamo the defence was left to the 10th Detached Company (10. Erillinen komppania). After the war marshal Mannerheim awarded all frontier guards the title "Frontier jäger" (Rajajääkäri).

During the Continuation War, the Frontier Guard companies were combined into 8 Frontier Jäger battalions (Rajajääkäripataljoona) and later during the Lapland War into a Frontier Jäger Brigade (Rajajääkäriprikaati).

External link

The Frontier Guard (http://www.rvl.fi/rvl/home.nsf/pages/index_eng)