Patria TRACKX: Next-Generation Vehicle for Emerging Challenges

The war in Ukraine has undoubtedly been a shock to military leadership worldwide, as old doctrines of warfare have been put to the test there – and in many respects, outright discarded. As a result, every army’s leadership has been forced to consider how to respond to these newly emerged challenges. For arms manufacturers, the task has become figuring out how to meet these needs.

In this regard, an illuminating example is provided by Patria, a manufacturer of military vehicles, which has unveiled a new armored personnel carrier equipped with a machine gun – the Patria TRACKX. This is a next-generation vehicle that specifically incorporates lessons learned from the war in Ukraine.

One such lesson is the threat posed by drones, which until now has scarcely been taken into account in military vehicle design. TRACKX brings a change in this area, as its protection is designed specifically to neutralize drone attacks.

Another key issue highlighted by the war in Ukraine for military vehicle design is the requirement for high performance in challenging conditions. For this reason, TRACKX runs on rubber tracks but can also move at high speed when needed. This has been demonstrated in practice, as TRACKX set a new world speed record for tracked vehicles in the spring – 88 kilometers per hour.

Patria expects that, due to these innovative features, there will be significant demand for the vehicle both within the EU and beyond. According to the company, serial production will begin in 2027.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Palestine Action Suomi - a Bona Fide Actor or False Flag Organization?
Renaissance of the Finnish Defense Industry
Finland Boosts Military Self-Sufficiency and Support for Ukraine

Why the Soviet Union Failed to Break Finland—And Why Russia Won’t Succeed Today

A Finnish officer shared his experiences as a Finnish soldier among NATO colleagues. The perspectives are subjective, of course, but they also align closely with my own understanding of what it means to be Finnish—yet they remain flattering.

“We have a solution-oriented, open-minded approach to work.” Finns are best known for their directness. “We don’t get stuck in the details—we push toward the goal, even if we have limited information. That’s a skill that’s appreciated here.”

“We’ve adopted a model of deep leadership. It’s based on trust and mutual respect—not just issuing orders... Many people told me that the Finnish style is exceptionally effective. And when we demonstrate that it works even under pressure and time constraints, it leaves a lasting impression.”

Norwegian Rear Admiral (ret.) Hans Helseth, for his part, described Finnish officers as “open, courageous, and intelligent. They made an enormous impression right away.”

* * *

Let’s hope his observations are read in Putin’s Russia as well. And through that, maybe there will be an understanding of why the great power Soviet Union failed to conquer Finland—then a nation of fewer than four million people—during World War II. This was especially evident in the last major battle at Ilomantsi, where Russian forces fled in disarray, leaving the Finns with considerable spoils of war.

The conquest of Finland didn’t succeed—as it did in Germany or Japan—even though Stalin tried twice. And it certainly won’t succeed now, with Finland backed by the world’s most powerful defense alliance: NATO.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Be Ready: Russia May Launch Another "Special Operation"
Russia to Triple Its Military Presence on Finland’s Border
No Low-Hanging Fruits Among Russian Neighbors

Europe Needs Leadership and Urgent Defense Actions

The President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, told that he supports British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s initiatives for a new ceasefire plan in Ukraine. According to the president, Europe currently needs leadership, which Starmer is demonstrating.

Stubb also stated that the winner of Friday’s meeting between Trump, Vance, and Zelensky was Vladimir Putin. However, despite this, the relationship between the United States and Europe remains strong.

For this reason, he urged people to stay calm in a very Finnish way—by advising them to take deep breaths, have a cold plunge, go to the sauna, and think things through. He also promised to return to the matter later.

Beyond that, Stubb did not wish to give instructions to Volodymyr Zelensky either. Instead, Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) stated that all European countries must strengthen their defense capabilities to the maximum extent, with the goal of being able to defend themselves independently within ten years.

He also noted that Europe is unlikely to reach consensus on this matter, so responsible nations must be ready to make joint decisions—even without those who are unwilling to participate.

It remains to be seen whether Europe will succeed in finding its footing in this changing situation, where military security must also be considered alongside the challenges posed by weak economic growth and internal security. A positive signal in this regard, however, is that the European Commission has just decided to reduce internal EU bureaucracy and regulations to enable economic growth.

To me, it is clear that none of the above issues will be hindered by Finland’s current leadership. That is why it would be beneficial for progress to be made quickly, as democracy may once again bring forth political movements or other leaders whose understanding does not always suffice to recognize facts—let alone act accordingly.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Political Rhetoric Like Trump-Zelenskyi’s Has Deep Historical Roots
President of Finland Asked Whether There Are Top Politicians With Serious Intellectual Limitations
Finland and the USA: Strong Allies with Shared Interests or a Trade Dispute?

The Fall of Germany’s Government Could Open the EU’s Path to a Better Future

Germany's Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz has led a coalition government that now appears to have reached the end of the road. This is because all the ministers from the liberal FDP party announced their resignation from the government after Scholz dismissed the party's chairman, Finance Minister Christian Lindner, from his post.

Scholz explained that the reason for Lindner’s dismissal was a loss of confidence in him, stemming from the liberal Finance Minister's economic policy views, which differed from those of the Chancellor and the third coalition partner, the Greens.

Next, Scholz intends to negotiate with the leader of the Christian Democrats (CDU), Friedrich Merz, and offer him an opportunity to “work constructively together on issues critical to our country.” It remains to be seen whether Merz will be willing to rescue Scholz, whose popularity among the public continues to decline.

The Greens, however, would like to continue governing Germany alongside the Social Democrats. Nonetheless, Scholz is expected to face a parliamentary vote of confidence in January. Should the government receive a vote of no confidence, new parliamentary elections would likely be held in March.

According to recent polls, significant shifts could be expected in the Bundestag. The latest surveys indicate that only 16 percent of eligible voters currently support the SPD, while the country’s most popular party is now the CDU with around 32 percent support.

The immigration-critical right-wing party AfD holds second place with 17 percent, followed by the SPD. The Greens have around 10 percent support, and the immigration-critical left-wing party BSW holds about seven percent. All other parties, including the liberals, are currently polling below Germany's five-percent electoral threshold.

In my view, it would be beneficial for Europe if the German parliament were to dissolve the government and hold elections as soon as possible. This way, the EU could rid itself of Germany’s Russia-leaning government and hopefully see a new leadership in its leading nation, one that could pursue foreign policy independent of Russia and bring Germany's economy back on a growth track.

This would also allow the EU, under Germany's leadership, to take responsibility for supporting Ukraine against the Russian aggressor – especially if the United States, under a returning president, shifts its military support more towards Taiwan in response to increasing pressure from China, and if Donald Trump fails to negotiate a peace within 24 hours, as may be expected.

And that’s not all, as a favorable election result could also lead to the AfD joining the government, which would make immigration a prominent issue in German politics. This, in turn, could potentially put an end to the mass migration across the Mediterranean.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
From Finland to Olaf Scholz: The Imperative of Supporting Ukraine's Independence instead of its Finlandization
The EU Is Suffocating Under Double Bureaucracy
The Rise, Fall, and Future of the European Green Parties

University of Helsinki gained an anti-Semitic reputation

The University of Helsinki garnered international attention when it decided to bar Israelis from participating in student exchange programs. This was simply interpreted as anti-Semitism, which, of course, it was.

Now, Finland's largest and most scientifically prestigious university is attempting to remedy what can be remedied, which includes the university leadership requesting people who have been demonstrating in support of Hamas in the university premises for over a month to leave. Apparently, the university administration believes this will not happen voluntarily, as they had already requested assistance from the police when making the request.

It remains to be seen how the university leadership will react if the demonstrators do not leave. Or if they start resisting the dispersal of the demonstration with outright violence.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
A caliphate was demanded in Germany
Demonstrations cause trouble in Helsinki and Sweden
International Master´s degree is an opportunity to be used

Victims of Russian leaders

According to the BBC, Russians are reportedly buying cheap apartments from Ukrainians in the captured city of Mariupol. However, the news does not specify who the sellers are.

Based on recent military events (example and another), it's evident that the city won't remain under Russian control for long, and the Ukrainian army will eventually take over, sooner or later. This means that those who have purchased property in Mariupol will inevitably lose their investments, sooner or later.

Both Ukrainians and even Russia's leadership, including Vladimir Putin, are aware of all of this. However, it seems that this information hasn't been conveyed to the Russian populace seeking inexpensive housing in prime locations.

The question arises whether this implies that the sellers are either the Russian government or the leadership of the Russian military, or individuals close to them. Thus, could this be the final cashing in for these entities before the ultimate downfall of their "special operation"? A scheme in which the victims are the misled citizens of their own country?

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Should Putin´s regime be overthrown by supporting Russian opposition?
Russian standard of tanks
Incapable of learning but capable of genocide

The reasons behind the fall of Nokia´s cellphone business

The main newspaper in Finland - Helsingin sanomat - wrote about a new study on Nokia company, which was made at the University of Oulu. It reported that Nokia´s cellphone business failed because of moving its production from a long-time collaboration company Elcoteq to East Asia. 

That resulted in considerable problems including a loss of quality, which led to a bankrupt of Elcoteq and loss of most European ICT jobs. Also, the close collaboration of the Nokia and its subcontactors ended as company´s relationship with Elcoteq had been highly open and mutual. 

The rules in East Asia were completely different, and Nokia never learned them well enough.

* * *

I have had many friends who have worked in Nokia company, and according to their views the company had an even bigger problem. That was its practice to provide each R&D project to two different R&D units. 

It worked nicely during the rise of the cellphone company, as competition accelerated innovation. However, later the competition between groups became more and more negative - each group trying to decelerate competitors efforts instead of speeding up their own. And that led to extremely negative atmosphere among the R&D units. 

Furthermore, Nokia did not only try to make cellphones as cheaply as possibly - that is why the subcontracting was moved to East Asia - but also R&D. Thus, its leaders did not understood that the engineers are not freely convertible. And definitely, the engineers behind the rise of the company were not mainstream of their profession but an exceptional source of innovation and passion not cheaply available anywhere. 

Thus, the R&D of Nokia halted - compared to its competitors, especially Apple - and even worse, the leaders of Nokia did not believe in phones with touchscreens even though they had been offered such a phone already in 2003 - well before Apple had its own. 

Thus, the end of Nokia cellphones was a story of misunderstandings, detrimental leadership and arrogance. Today, the company is again in rise - although not in mobile phone business - and hopefully has learned from its past failures. At least, more of its R&D is today in Europe and it is even making decent profits to its owners.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Microbial solution to malnutrition?
Vikings and the technological cutting edge
Voisikohan olla... (my view about Nokia during its ongoing fall - in Finnish but google translatable, year 2010)