Director, Generals, Honoured Guests,
It is my honour to bring greetings and warm congratulations from our NCISG Group Commander, Major General Jürgen Brötz, on the occasion of your 5th anniversary. I am Brigadier General Jarkko Karsikas, the Deputy Commander of the NATO CIS Group. I have the privilege of speaking today, which is particularly meaningful to me given my background in military academia. The fields of training and education are quite familiar to me.
In my speech, I would like to address two main themes: the urgent operational requirement and the future needs of NCISG. At the end, we will consider the question: are we fit for purpose?
I had a brief discussion with the head of the Academy about the background of our cooperation, and I learned that the Director intends to share a story. So, I decided to do the same.
What is an urgent operational requirement, and how was it addressed?
This is the story of Captain Laakso and the training of the 37 mm Bofors anti-tank gun for the Finnish Defense Forces. This weapon system played a strategic role during the Finnish Winter War of 1939-40.
Finland acquired these weapons from Sweden: 12 were obtained in 1938, and in 1939, just before and during the Winter War, about 50 more were delivered.
The Winter War lasted 105 days. During approximately five months, roughly 30 gun platoons were trained, each equipped with two guns each. These platoons were organized either as independent units or as artillery batteries consisting of two to three platoons.
Captain Laakso first encountered an anti-tank gun in 1938. By 1939, he was assigned to Poltinaho in Hämeenlinna as the head of the training center responsible for this system's instruction. And for preparations he got few weeks, after which he would start the selection of gun crews.
Training on the guns at Poltinaho began in October-November 1939, just before the Winter War erupted on November 30, 1939. On that day, Hämeenlinna had just 6 hours and 15 minutes of daylight, from sunset to sundown.
A typical training cycle for a gun platoon lasted two weeks. It began with assigning roles. Captain Laakso took the crews to the shooting range, where the best marksmen became the gun operators, and others were assigned as loaders, gun commanders, or assistants. There was no time for cross-training.
Training was carefully structured to maximize the use of daylight hours for field exercises, focusing on the tactical use and firing of the gun. Due to a shortage of ammunition, each crew could only fire the necessary sighting shots. Evenings and nights were devoted to lectures and handling drills, with only a little time left for sleep.
After two weeks of training, the gun crews boarded a train in Hämeenlinna and headed for the front. Often, there was no precise information about which unit the platoons would join. In many cases, the most proactive officer at the destination would secure this powerful weapon system to support his battalion’s fight.
Captain Laakso was also responsible for developing the concept and tactical use of anti-tank defense. He maintained active correspondence with the leaders of the gun platoons. Battlefield experiences were relayed directly and without filters to the new trainees. During the winter war there was no war censorship. At the same time, Laakso documented numerous observations for improving organizational practices. During the war, the first handbook for gun platoons was created, aimed at senior leaders and battalion commanders. Most losses, after all, stemmed from senior leaders' poor understanding of how to use the guns effectively. Actually most losses for guns were effected by enemy tanks driving over the gun.
Unfortunately captain Laakso didn’t survive the war. He was killed during the continuation War in 1944.
Does these experiences about leadership not understanding sound familiar when we are thinking the challenges with our CIS and IT? In my view, we are in a similar situation to that of 1938, where we must recognize the world’s changes and prepare for a real urgent operational requirement for training arrangements just around the corner. At least we must be prepared!
That concludes the story.
I had an excellent discussion with the Director about future challenges. From the Group's perspective, the biggest question is whether we are fit for purpose, especially in terms of training and education. We are talking about NCISG uplift and some hundreds of new people in our lines, new equipment, additional 100 000m2 of infrastructure. We are really growing fast! If we view our capabilities through the lens of the DOTMLPFI framework (Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership, Personnel, Facilities, and Interoperability), much is still under development. We need cooperation and a shared understanding of where we are headed – including long-term goals beyond the 50-meter mark, or what I call the marathon goals. As a Finnish Officer, I still would like to emphasize the importance of a shorter-term view, as we are living in turbulent times. We must kick the ball rolling, it will make its way through obstacles as it gets momentum.
Looking at short-term needs, I recognize flexibility and responsiveness as priorities – both of which have been well identified at the Academy. There has even been talk about transformational efforts within the Academy, including adaptive learning and sophisticated e-learning environments. However, the challenge lies in the speed of change. For us, as a key client, it is essential to support the Academy’s efficient transformation. We want to see a strong, modern, and operationally responsive institution alongside us. The Academy is undoubtedly part of our capability package. Without proper training, we cannot survive, and we cannot achieve fitness for purpose. Standing together makes us stronger.
That is why we are ready to invest in this transformation, which, of course, means dedicating both human and financial resources. Together, we must find a way to channel those investments effectively toward our shared goals.
Congratulations to the NCI Academy. Exciting times await us. We will face the future together, and we will be Stronger Together. We are NATO