As part of the Finnish Government and the relevant ministry providing guidelines for defence administration, the Ministry of Defence is responsible for national defence policy and security as well as international defence policy cooperation. Further responsibilities of the Ministry of Defence include providing resources for military national defence and securing operational requirements for the Defence Forces, overseeing Finland’s participation in international crisis-management and contributing to European security structures to secure national interests. The Ministry of Defence is a civilian organisation. The staff numbers about 130; one-half of the staff is women and approximately 20 employees of the entire staff have a military background. The average age is around 47 years. As to the educational background, most employees hold a college or university degree or a diploma in higher education or secondary education. About 70% are college or university graduates with a degree in political science, law, arts, military sciences or business studies.