Preparing the Defence Estate for an Uncertain Future: In Conversation with Dr. Matias Warsta

Preparing the Defence Estate for an Uncertain Future

In Conversation with Dr. Matias Warsta

In this interview, CEO of Defence Properties Finland discusses why resilience now sits at the heart of defence infrastructure planning.Contents

Thank you for reading Preparing the Defence Estate for an Uncertain Future: In Conversation with Dr. Matias Warsta

Foreword

Defence capability is often measured in terms of platforms, personnel, and technology, but behind every operational force lies the infrastructure that enables it to function. From hardened command centres and resilient energy networks to accommodation, utilities, and digital systems, defence estates are increasingly being recognised as a frontline capability in their own right.

For Dr. Matias Warsta, preparedness is not something that can be improvised once a crisis begins. It must be designed, built, tested, and sustained long before it is ever needed. In this interview, the CEO of Defence Properties Finland discusses why resilience now sits at the heart of defence infrastructure planning, how Finland’s total defence model shapes its approach to estate management, and why collaboration between government, industry, and allied nations will be essential to strengthening military readiness in the years ahead.

Dr. Matias Warsta
CEO
Defence Properties Finland

Dr. Matias Warsta has worked in various roles related to defence infrastructure since 2009. He currently serves as the CEO of Defence Properties Finland, an organization responsible for developing, owning, and operating real estate used by the Finnish Defence Forces and their strategic partners.

Before assuming his current position in 2021, Warsta was the Managing Director of the predecessor organization of Defence Properties Finland. He also spent seven years in a range of management and specialist roles within the Ministry of Defence Finland, and served as Environmental Chief Inspector at the Defence Command Finland.

From 2004 to 2009, Warsta worked as a research scientist and consultant. He holds a Doctorate in Environmental Law and a Master of Science degree in Automation and Systems Technology. In addition to his professional roles, Warsta has authored dozens of government reports and peer-reviewed scientific articles.

1. To start, could you tell us a bit about your career journey and how your experience across environmental law, defence infrastructure, and government roles has shaped your current perspective as CEO of Defence Properties Finland?

I’ve been fortunate to work across what I would describe as all parts of the Finnish defence administration. I started at Defence Command Finland, where I saw from the inside how the Finnish Defence Forces operate. I then moved to the policy level at the Ministry of Defence, where I had the opportunity to understand how Finland’s total defence model works, the role of other ministries, and how industry forms an integral part of the wider defence system.

Now, as a service provider, I believe I have a strong overall understanding of defence requirements and how Defence Properties Finland, together with our industry partners, can best support the armed forces.

My background in environmental law has also helped me understand the political and legal dimensions of public administration, as well as how the public sector operates in Finland. That proved very valuable as I moved into the next stage of my career.

2. Having worked across both policy and operational delivery within Finland’s defence sector, how do you see the role of defence infrastructure evolving in response to today’s increasingly volatile geopolitical environment?

Infrastructure is certainly an integral part of defence capability. For example, a multi-role fighter jet system requires command-and-control capabilities on the ground, and these must be of sufficient quality to ensure the survivability of personnel and operations.

In Finland, especially, we still see underground blast shelter facilities as being comparable to weapons systems in terms of their importance. At the same time, the peacetime capabilities built into garrisons play a vital role in producing wartime troops.

In addition to those aspects, during the sort of “grey-zone” period before conflict, the resilience of the everyday buildings we use becomes extremely important in preparing forces for worsening conditions.

So, I truly believe infrastructure is a key part of defence capability. It is not an add-on - it is part of the capability itself.

3. From your perspective, what are the most pressing challenges defence organisations face when trying to modernise their estates while maintaining operational readiness?

I think time is now of the essence. We do not really have a clear picture of how much time we have to prepare before situations could deteriorate significantly.

In many countries, property organisations face legal constraints, such as planning and construction permit requirements, which can make it very difficult to move quickly. In Finland, we have been fortunate in that we already addressed many of these issues in

advance by designing legislation with sufficient exemptions in place.

Currently, one of our biggest challenges has been obtaining security clearances quickly enough. There are now so many people working across our sites that the clearance system was not originally designed for a situation like the one we are experiencing today.

That has created some difficulties for us, but fortunately, we have now been able to resolve much of that issue, so we are moving past it.

More broadly, I think we have been quite effective in scaling up our operations, but there are always bottlenecks. Often, they are relatively small issues that end up slowing the efficiency of the wider system.

4. The conference emphasises resilience across physical, digital, and energy domains. How is Defence Properties Finland approaching the integration of these elements within its estate strategy?

Preparedness and readiness are fundamental pillars of our strategy - in fact, they are the most important pillars. That is essentially why Defence Properties Finland exists. Without the need to address preparedness and readiness, there would be no need for an organisation like ours.

Within that capability, I think our responsibilities can roughly be divided into three categories.

First, we have underground blast shelter command-and-control centres, which provide protection against a wide range of threats, including kinetic weapons, nerve agents, and electromagnetic pulses.

Secondly, we focus on the resilience of above-ground facilities, particularly across areas such as electricity, heating, water, and sewerage systems. These functions are critical to ensuring that daily operations can continue without disruption.

The third area is the digital domain. One important aspect of this is operational technology within buildings. That is something we really need to pay attention to. As part of our strategy, we recognise that it is not only traditional ICT systems that require protection, but also the operational technology systems embedded within facilities themselves.

To achieve a high level of readiness across all these areas, we need contingency plans, sufficient in-house personnel, and additional support from our service providers. We could never operate effectively during a crisis with only our own staff, but we do maintain enough internal capability to respond immediately when circumstances change rapidly.

We also need spare parts, materials, secure contracts with suppliers and service providers, and above all: practice, practice, and more practice. That is essential.

5. Sustainability is a growing priority across defence infrastructure. How can armed forces balance environmental responsibility with the need for secure, resilient, and mission-ready facilities?

I used to work on environmental issues within the defence forces, and my view is that these two priorities are not often in conflict. In fact, quite often the opposite is true.

Most of the time, it is possible to achieve what I would call a “double dividend”. For example, renewable energy solutions can help reduce carbon dioxide emissions while also increasing resilience. They can allow us to rely more on domestic fuels and nationally produced energy sources.

From a military strategic perspective, Finland is essentially an island, even though geographically we are a peninsula. In times of crisis, it could become very difficult to bring supplies into the country by sea. So, making use of domestic resources is often beneficial both environmentally and from a resilience standpoint.

In construction, there can sometimes be more difficult trade-offs. For example, wooden buildings may not always be the best solution from a resilience perspective. But overall, I think it is relatively rare for these two important goals to be fundamentally at odds with one another.

6. You’ve authored extensive research and government reports - how important is evidence-based decision-making when planning long-term defence estate investments?

I think the key phrase in your question is “long term”. When we build something, it is usually intended to last for a very long time.

Over the next 10 years, we are investing around three times the value of our balance sheet, and these assets will remain in use for the next 50 to 100 years. Because of that, it is extremely important that we base decisions on solid evidence before making such long-lasting commitments.

We also need to think about how warfare may change over the next 10 to 20 years, because that is what we are preparing for now — not simply the conflicts we see on the battlefield today.

That means carrying out research, forecasting future developments, and considering wider societal factors. For example, what will demographic trends look like? How many conscripts will we be training in 2040? These are important questions if we want to avoid wasting taxpayers’ money or making inefficient investments.

At the same time, we are operating with urgency, and sometimes that means decisions must still be made even when the available information is incomplete. But wherever possible, you should seek out the facts before making those decisions.

7. Collaboration is a key theme of the event. What role do partnerships between government, industry, and allied nations play in delivering an adaptable and future-ready defence estate?

I think collaboration is not only a key theme for this conference - it is also the key to success.

As I mentioned earlier, it is impossible for us to achieve our goals using only defence personnel. At Defence Properties Finland, we do not believe we could reach the required level of preparedness alone. We absolutely need industry to support us.

We rely on industry for manpower, equipment, specialist skills, and expertise across all these domains. We cannot operate independently.

Our aim is to maintain core capabilities ourselves, with enough personnel to respond immediately when needed. But beyond that, we require support. We also need stockpiles to help us prepare, but as we have seen in Ukraine, crises tend to last much longer than anticipated. Maintaining reserves entirely on our own at that scale is simply not feasible.

In Finland, we have a very robust total defence system where the whole of society contributes to national defence, and that is something we need to preserve.

In terms of NATO cooperation, I believe this is still an area where Finland has room to develop. We have only been part of the alliance for a couple of years. We already work very closely with Norway, Sweden, and the wider Nordic and Baltic states, but I believe we can broaden that cooperation further and do much more together with other NATO allies.

8. Finally, as a speaker at Defence Estates & Infrastructure 2026, what are you most looking forward to at the conference, and what key message do you hope to share with fellow attendees?

I’m especially looking forward to meeting people, having conversations, and learning from others. As I mentioned earlier, collaboration is extremely important. Perhaps the key message I would like to share is that we hope to avoid war by preparing for it.

Even though I may be preaching to the converted at this conference, I genuinely believe we need to prepare for the worst now. Once war becomes imminent, it is already too late.

We need to ensure we have sufficient stockpiles, build the capabilities we will need during a crisis in advance, and create systems that allow those stockpiles to circulate effectively over time.

And finally, we need to train, train, and train. That is something I constantly emphasise within my own organisation. The point is not to predict the exact crisis we will face in the future - nobody can know that. The value of training is that it develops a culture and mindset capable of responding effectively to unexpected situations.

Get Ready for Defence Estates & Infrastructure 2026

The Hilton Syon Park Hotel, London

30^th September – 1^st October 2026

Defence Estates & Infrastructure 2026 will bring together global defence leaders, government stakeholders and industry experts to explore how military estates can become more resilient, sustainable and operationally effective in an increasingly contested world. Through keynote presentations, panel discussions and networking opportunities, the conference will examine the future of defence infrastructure, from energy security and estate modernisation to force protection and accommodation strategy.

Join Defence iQ at the Hilton Syon Park Hotel, London, on the 30^th September – 1^st October 2026 to gain international insights into optimising the defence estate of the future and connect with decision-makers from across the global defence infrastructure supply chain.

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