influencing various actors. Close cooperation in normal times makes it possible to continue it in emergency conditions as well. Bilateral and multilateral defence cooperation is an important part of maintaining, developing and using Finland’s defence capacity, and deterrence. Also the capability to receive military assistance is an important part of defence development. The measures needed for receiving assistance will be extensively considered in developing the government’s preparedness. Correspondingly, Finland will improve its ability to provide military or other international assistance. International training and exercises serve the development of international crisis management and Finland’s national defence. Finland selects the exercises it chooses to participate in from its own perspectives and interests. Finland is not immune to the global transformation. Finland can influence global trends by intensifying multilateral and bilateral cooperation with other actors. By anticipating the winds of change and by efficiently and flexibly tapping into its own strengths Finland can prosper and strengthen its status. Finland can be a trailblazer and it must be able to respond to even surprising developments in its operating environment. The goal of Finland’s foreign policy is to strengthen Finland’s international status. This requires sufficient resources. Finland’s own network of missions is an irreplaceable source of information and a means of influence which adds to Finland’s security and wellbeing. Therefore, the network of missions will not be curtailed. For their part, strategic membership goals in different organisations and high-level recruitments support this goal. In order to advance Finland’s foreign and security policy goals decisions must constantly be taken. Taking into account its own strengths Finland must be able to anticipate the demands posed by the transformation of the operating environment and meet the requirements. In order to realise the strategic goals in an environment in flux, coordination in other policy sectors associated with foreign and security policy such as internal security and energy policy, is also needed. Finland’s foreign and security policy goal-setting is a response to degrading cooperation-based security in Europe and the development towards a balanceof-power regime, the deteriorating security situation in the Baltic Sea region and Russia’s unpredictable internal and foreign policy development as well as the threats and possibilities included in global trends. 18