The Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) have proposed that the next programme for government — currently being negotiated by four political parties at the House of the Estates in Helsinki — should set the upper limit for the military reserve at 65 years of age.
Daily Helsingin Sanomat first reported on the proposal, based on documents it obtained from the FDF's Defence Command.
Under current Finnish legislation, officers and non-commissioned officers remain in the reserve until the age of 60, and enlisted personnel until the age of 50.
In the documents provided to HS, the Defence Command noted that any possible increase in the age limit would apply to all, but each individual reservist would be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and they would have to volunteer.
For this reason, raising the age limit would be unlikely to increase the total reserve by more than a few hundred people.
Justifying the need for the raising of the age limit, the Defence Command argued that Finland's membership of the Nato alliance will increase the need for both reserve personnel and experienced reservists both in Finland and abroad.
For example, experienced reserve instructors are now in high demand, and an increasing number of people over the age of 60 still have excellent functional abilities.
In a statement, the Finnish Reservists' Association said it welcomes a possible increase in the age limit.
Would you like a roundup of the week's top stories in your inbox every Thursday? Then sign up to receive our weekly email.