Go Bold #29: Senior Lieutenant Seppo Aaltonen on national military service in Finland

Today's guest is our first opportunity to speak with someone serving with the Finnish Defence Forces.Seppo Aaltonen is a Senior Lieutenant in the Finnish Army Reserve (Land Forces Reserve Officer), and he is also the Chief Commercial Officer of Varjo Technologies, a company which is a leader in virtual and mixed reality headset solutions, and in cloud-enabled solutions.We begin our discussion by speaking about mandatory national service that all Finnish men are expected to perform. That requirement is rooted in the fact that Finland is an immediate neighbor of Russia, which attacked Finland in 1939 in what is known as the Winter War. That war began with a Soviet invasion three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peace Treaty of March 1940.We discuss the obligations of mandatory national service, how it is conducted, and why mandatory service is meaningful to Lieutenant Aaltonen, who proudly serves Finland, a country which ranks high among the most desirable places to live in the world. A theme you will consistently hear in our discussion is that "Freedom is Not Free", a statement which rings true for all who serve in uniform, and certainly for those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.Our discussion speaks about Finland's intent to join NATO, the concept of total defence, and the need to be prepared for potential scenarios that Finland may face in light of Russia's blatant aggression against sovereign nations, as is happening in Ukraine.We also speak about virtual and mixed reality solutions which high-tech industry and the military are using for design, development and for training.Our chat is enlightening as Lieutenant Aaltonen's perspective and the context he provides is one that often isn't heard, or isn't heard enough, and that is why we at Go Bold are so proud to present voices of allied warfighters to our global audience.We thank Lieutenant Seppo Aaltonen for his time and perspective.Go Bold!