Finnish Rapid Deployment Force
The Finnish Rapid Deployment Force (FRDF) (Finnish: Suomen Kansainvälinen Valmiusjoukko) is the spearhead international force of the Finnish Defence Forces (FDF). It can also be used for national defence.
The force is trained to participate as a part of multinational peacekeeping and "crisis management" operations and can be deployed at short notice.
Although the FRDF is an addition to rather than a replacement for traditional peacekeeping forces, many Finnish peacekeepers have FRDF training, and FRDF soldiers are mostly used as a sort of recruitment pool for international peacekeeping missions, which may consist of a mix of normal reservists, FRDF-trained reservists and professional soldiers (mostly officers).
Formed in 1996, the first battalion became operational in 1998. Elements of the group were first deployed in 1999 as a part of the KFOR operation in Kosovo.
Read more about Finnish Rapid Deployment Force: Order of Battle, Conscript Training, Amphibious Task Unit, The International Beret
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