The Finnish Intelligence Research Establishment (FIRE) (Finnish

Finnish language

Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...

: Viestikoelaitos ("Signals Test Facility")) is a signals intelligence (SIGINT) unit of the Finnish Defence Forces

Finnish Defence Forces

The Finnish Defence Forces are responsible for the defence of Finland. It is a cadre army of 15,000, of which 8,900 are professional soldiers , extended with conscripts and reservists such that the standard readiness strength is 34,700 people in uniform...

, founded in 1960. It is part of the organization of the Finnish Air Force

Finnish Air Force

The Finnish Air Force is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions...

, and shares its headquarters in Tikkakoski

Tikkakoski

Tikkakoski is a neighbourhood of Jyväskylä, Finland, about north of the city centre. It has a population of 6,000.The Jyväskylä Airport, Aviation Museum of Central Finland, and a Finnish Air Force base, with the FAF Headquarters, and the Finnish Air Force Academy are all located in...

. It is part of the Finnish Military Intelligence Service

Finnish Military Intelligence Service

The Finnish Military Intelligence Service is responsible for the military intelligence in Finland, and accountable to the Minister of Defence. Its SIGINT unit is located in Tikkakoski....

.

Very little information about the unit is publicly available. Except for the budget and the number of employees, virtually every document concerning any closer details of the leadership structure of the facility, its intelligence objects and processes etc., is classified as secret or top secret, as confirmed by a Supreme Administrative Court

Supreme Administrative Court of Finland

The Supreme Administrative Court of Finland is the highest court in the Finnish administrative court system, parallel to the Supreme Court of Finland. Its jurisdiction covers the legality of the decisions of government officials, and its decisions are final...

 ruling in 2007. In 1998 it had a budget of 51 million Finnish Markka (8.6 million euro

Euro

The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...

) and a staff of 189. In 2004 the budget was 12.2 million euro and personnel 125.

External links

• Yrjö Viitasaari, Lord of the Classified Information - Helsingin Sanomat
  Helsingin Sanomat
  Helsingin Sanomat is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. In 2008, its daily circulation was 412,421 on weekdays and 468,505 on Sundays...
  
  June 5, 2001
• Douglas C-47 at spyflight.co.uk