Finland hails plan for allies to join NATO land forces in North
Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen hailed plans on Wednesday for six NATO member states including Britain and France to participate in land forces that are to be established in northern Finland.
Finland, which has a longer border with Russia than any other NATO state, has strengthened the frontier in the two years since it joined the military alliance following a policy U-turn after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“I am very pleased that yesterday, in connection with the ministerial meeting, we were able to announce that Sweden, the United Kingdom, France, Norway, Denmark and Iceland are set to join FLF Finland,” Hakkanen said on X, referring to what NATO calls Forward Land Forces.
NATO leaders were meeting on Wednesday in The Hague.
Helsinki and Stockholm agreed last year that Sweden would lead the establishment of a NATO land force in Finland and invited other allies to participate.
The number of troops is yet to be defined. But the Finnish defense ministry has said that there is a plan for up to a brigade – about 5,000 soldiers – and a significant number of equipment to be brought in if the security situation worsens.
The first NATO land forces will start to arrive this year and be placed above the Arctic circle in Rovaniemi and
Sodankyla, it said.
In addition to the foreign reinforcement force in the north, Finland will host a new NATO land force headquarters for officers in Mikkeli, southern Finland, an about two-hour drive from the Finnish-Russian border.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Carney travelling to Europe for security, defence talks with EU, NATO, The Canadian Press
Denmark: Denmark approves US military bases on Danish soil as Trump eyes Greenland, The Associated Press
Greenland: Europeans step up Arctic diplomacy amid U.S. and global pressure, Eye on the Arctic
Finland: Finland’s lawmakers vote to leave land mine treaty; boosts defenses against Russia, The Independent Barents Observer
Iceland: Iceland’s FM announces defence review, calls revamped security policy ‘urgent’, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: Norway confirms it will spend 5% of GDP on defence, Reuters
Russia: Drone attack on Russian warplanes, including in Arctic, serious blow to strategic arsenal, The Associated Press
Sweden: Nordic-Baltic region joins forces around Sweden’s CV90, The Independent Barents Observer
United States: White House releases U.S. Arctic strategy implementation plan, Eye on the Arctic
