Finland is launching a sweeping national defense upgrade in response to a heightened threat from Russia, aiming to establish 1,000 civilian shooting ranges across the country. The plan, championed by the Finnish government and defense committee, is designed to dramatically increase the “societal resilience” and marksmanship skills of its population.
The goal is not to build 1,000 new ranges, but to increase the current number from approximately 670 to 1,000 by 2030. This initiative is part of Finland’s “total defense” model, which relies on a well-trained reserve. The government’s aim is to make shooting practice as accessible as “football or ice hockey” to support the skills of its large reservist population and its civilian gun owners.
Finland, which joined NATO in 2023, already has one of the highest per-capita gun ownership rates in the world. This new plan is a direct effort to harness that existing firearms culture for national defense, driven by what Finnish leaders have called the “most dangerous times since World War II.”
The push for domestic preparedness is being matched by an investment in high-tech border security. On November 13, 2025, the Finnish government announced it is applying to the European Union for over €16 million in funding. This money is specifically earmarked to purchase unmanned surveillance systems, including advanced drones and unmanned surface vessels (USVs), to strengthen surveillance along its 1,340-km eastern border with Russia and in the Gulf of Finland.
This domestic mobilization is happening as Finland deepens its integration with NATO. On November 12, 2025, the defense ministers of Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark met in Helsinki. They agreed to create a joint Nordic air operations capability, which will see the new NATO allies training and operating their combined fleet of over 200 new-generation fighter jets as a unified force to deter Russian aggression in the High North.
