Spontaneous Volunteering in National Defense (SPOVA)

The Finnish comprehensive security cooperation model is perceived among the officer corps as one of the key ways to adapt to operating in this complex security environment. Inter-agency cooperation plays a significant role in this, but it is also emphasized that real societal resilience comes from the people, not the authorities. The so-called fourth sector's spontaneous volunteerism is seen as one manifestation of societal resilience.

The goal of the research project on SPOVA is to a) map the current state of spontaneous volunteer activity related to national defense in Europe, and b) create, based on this mapping, an operational model suitable for the Finnish national defense context to utilize spontaneous volunteerism in wartime. The results of the research can be directly utilized in Finnish readiness planning and preparedness, for example in the planning and execution of local defense exercises. The project also produces an understanding of the benefits of employing a perspective of anticipation at the intersection of national defense and spontaneous volunteerism.