New rule
Military special unit in Finland bans vegetarians and vegans
A squad member of the special forces in Finland
© Finnish Border Guard
A special unit of the Finnish military will no longer accept vegetarians, vegans or people with severe food allergies. The new rule is justified with possible difficult conditions during operations.
Anyone who is vegetarian, vegan or severely lactose intolerant will not be allowed to take part in the training of the Finnish military special unit of border guards in the future. With the exception of minor food allergies, special diets and diets are taboo for trainees in the unit. This is reported by the Finnish radio yle.
These restrictions are justified by the difficult conditions that the soldiers can be exposed to in emergency situations, explained Ville Juvonen, instructor of the “hunters”, the broadcaster. War missions are very exhausting and the food supply is difficult in these situations.
“This decision aims to ensure that everyone gets an adequate amount of nutritious food, even in exceptional circumstances.”
Special unit learns how to find food in wilderness
If special diets or diets have to be restricted in times of war, for example, it becomes more complicated, says Juvonen. “During demanding tasks, a person’s energy expenditure can exceed 6,000 calories,” he explained. This cannot simply be covered with bread. “To get enough calories, you need quality nutrition.”
In exceptional or crisis situations, the so-called border hunters carry their own field supplies with them. It consists of freeze-dried foods that are prepared with hot water. However, troops are also trained to search for food in the field should the need arise. For example, you will learn how to fish and how to prepare reindeer meat. Although there are edible plants in Finnish forests, there are not enough of them, Juvonen said.
He also warns that while it’s possible to get help quickly for allergic reactions under normal circumstances, it’s not always possible under exceptional circumstances.
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Even if the name suggests it: the border guards are not employed by the border guard. They are conscripts doing their military service. However, the Border Guard is conducting the training, which will be coordinated by the Finnish Defense Forces.
Criticism of regulation for border protection
Juvonen sees no need for a rule change ordered by the armed forces. “The current rules work and we’ve gotten along well with them. In military thinking, what’s possible and what’s reasonable are two very different things. Our operations are based on exceptional circumstances, and operations are much easier when things are simple.”
The rules also allow for a certain amount of room for interpretation, the trainer continues. Nut allergies, for example, cannot be completely ruled out. “How do we determine the severity of the allergy, do we base our assessment on what the person says? People can also be more sensitive under heavy exertion. A person may not necessarily know what type of allergy they have,” says Juvonen.
“You have to judge whether these guidelines are reasonable”
Criticism also came from the ombudsman for non-discrimination. “Apparently, people are disadvantaged because of their health and possibly their beliefs,” the agency’s senior adviser Robin Harms told Yle. “You have to have very good reasons [für solche Einschränkungen] which must be acceptable in terms of fundamental and human rights,” he said.
However, the rules, based on safety and exceptional circumstances, seemed well founded, Harms said. “Ultimately, one has to judge whether these guidelines are reasonable. Are they really absolutely necessary in this day and age, or can the same goal also be achieved in a way that does not restrict rights to the same extent?”
Finland wants to better protect the border with Russia
The Finnish Border Guard performs defense tasks in cooperation with the Finnish Defense Forces. The special unit of Finnish border guards is tasked with performing reconnaissance, combat and support tasks in times of crisis. Its members are trained in hand-to-hand combat, wilderness and survival training, and border security, among other things.
Finland shares a border with Russia that is more than 1,300 kilometers long. After Finland submitted an application to join NATO because of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, tensions at the border grew. Russia announced that it would strengthen the military in the region.
In October 2022, the Finnish parliament decided on a pilot project in which part of the border should be secured with a fence. This should help to ward off hybrid threats, said Prime Minister Sanna Marin. In the February construction of the 200-kilometer fence began. The completion of the project is until 2026 planned.
Sources: yle, Svenska Yle, Border Guard Finland, “politico”, suomi.fi