Finnish Defence Intelligence Agency

Finnish Defence Intelligence Agency
Puolustusvoimien tiedustelulaitos
Försvarsmaktens underrättelsetjänst
Colours of Defence Command
Agency overview
Formed1 May 2014; 10 years ago (1 May 2014)
Preceding agencies
  • Finnish Intelligence Research Establishment
  • Finnish Military Intelligence Centre
JurisdictionRepublic of Finland
Employees150–200 (2014)[1]
Annual budget€15 million (2014)[1]
Minister responsible
Agency executive
  • Colonel Esapekka Vehkaoja
Parent departmentIntelligence Division of Defence Command
Websitepuolustusvoimat.fi

The Finnish Defence Intelligence Agency (Finnish: Puolustusvoimien tiedustelulaitos, PVTIEDL; Fenno-Swedish: Försvarsmaktens underrättelsetjänst) is the combined signals (SIGINT), geospatial (GEOINT) and imagery intelligence (IMINT) agency of the Finnish Defence Forces. Operational since 2014, its responsibility is to support the defence of Finland through information gathering and analysis as an intelligence agency, organic to the Intelligence Division of Defence Command.

PVTIEDL's SIGINT history can be traced back to the establishment of Finnish radio intelligence in 1927 by Reino Hallamaa, a Defence Command intelligence officer, while its GEOINT history starts from 1812 with the establishment of the Haapaniemi military surveying school and topographical service. The successes of its predecessors are considered instrumental in key battles of the Winter and Continuation War during 1939–1944, such as intelligence at the largest battle in the history of Nordic countries, the Battle of Tali-Ihantala.[2]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :ksml1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Koskimaa, Matti (1993). Veitsen terällä: Vetäytyminen Länsi-Kannakselta ja Talin-Ihantalan suurtaistelu kesällä 1944 [On a knife-edge: Withdrawal from the Western Isthmus and the Battle of Tali-Ihantala in the summer of 1944] (in Finnish). Porvoo, Helsinki, Juva: WSOY. ISBN 951-0-18811-5.