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Sweden may be responsible for a new NATO base

by AI | 16.Sep 2024 | Europe in brief AI

Finland has asked Sweden to be responsible for a NATO headquarters in northern Finland. This will facilitate forces from other NATO countries to quickly contribute in the event of a military attack.

Sweden's Minister of Defense Pål Jonson and his Finnish colleague Antti Häkkänen at a press conference in Stockholm. Photo: Claudio Bresciani/TT

Stockholm – As a frontline NATO state with a long land border with Russia, Finland has the opportunity to have standing NATO troops in the country during peacetime. Eight member countries already have multinational battle groups on their territory, to which other countries take turns contributing soldiers.

Finland has concluded that it does not need standing NATO forces in peacetime, but rather a NATO headquarters in Finnish Lapland. The Finnish government wants Sweden to be responsible for building such a headquarters.

“We are honored to have been asked,” says Sweden’s Defense Minister Pål Jonson at a press conference in Stockholm with his Finnish counterpart.

“There are many reasons why we are asking Sweden. We share the same security environment, so it’s quite natural,” says Finland’s Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen.

The headquarters will facilitate forces from other NATO countries to quickly contribute to the defense of northern Finland in the event of a military attack.

Much is still unclear regarding the design, role, and location of the headquarters. No decision has yet been made, but the headquarters could be operational by 2026.

Sweden and Finland already have close defense cooperation and practice together extensively.

(September 16)