President Alexander Stubb visited Kiev the 3. of april. Foto:Matti Porre. The Finnish Presidents office.As a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and NATO’s enlargement through Finland’s and Sweden’s memberships, Northern Europe now plays a crucial role for Euro-Atlantic defence, says a new study by the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA).
«Northern Europe can no longer be perceived as a side flank of NATO, but as one of the focal points of Euro-Atlantic security,» says Leading Researcher Matti Pesu, one of the authors of the study.
The accession of Finland and Sweden into the alliance not only enables NATO to better defend its regional allies, but also pushes NATO to adapt to new realities. The alliance now needs to consider how to involve Northern Europe in its regional plans and how to build sufficient regional command-and-control arrangements.
According to the study published on Thursday, Finland has a notable role to play in the defence of Northern Europe.
«The alliance must figure out how to integrate the considerable military capabilities of Finland and Sweden into collective defence in the region», Pesu notes. One thing will, however, remain the same: «Even as a NATO member, Finland – a frontline nation – will bear the main responsibility for the defence of its own territory.»
Finland’s location between the Baltics and the Arctic has also sparked discussions regarding which NATO Joint Force Command (JFC) it should be assigned to. Finland and other Nordic allies would prefer it to join JFC Norfolk, whereas the Baltic states would like Finland to join them at JFC Brunssum.
However, irrespective of eventual arrangements, Finland will likely be located close to the seam of the respective areas of responsibility of JFC Brunssum and JFC Norfolk, requiring close coordination between the two commands.
«In the Finnish view, Northern Europe should be treated as a single operational entity, an area where NATO must be able to conduct joint operations», Pesu says.
As for Finland’s potential contribution to Northern European security, the study finds that Finland will seek to portray itself as a pragmatic security producer for the whole alliance. To accomplish this, Finland and Northern European allies must convince the rest of the alliance that strong regional efforts are needed to maintain security in Northern Europe.
«Keeping the region safe and stable is a critical prerequisite for ensuring the security of the whole Euro-Atlantic region,» Pesu concludes.
For more information, please contact:
Matti Pesu
matti.pesu@fiia.fi
Tel. +358 9 4327739
https://www.fiia.fi/en/expert/matti-pesu
@PesuMatti
Matti Pesu is a Leading Researcher in the Finnish foreign policy, Northern European security, and NATO research programme at FIIA. He has lead a research project analyzing Finland’s nascent NATO policy and the country’s evolving role in Euro-Atlantic security. Pesu has published extensively on Finnish foreign, security, and defence policy, defence cooperation, Baltic Sea security, and Euro-Atlantic security. Pesu’s writing has appeared in publications such as War on the Rocks, the National Interest, and Diplomacy & Statecraft.
The publication is part of FIIA’s «NATO in the North, the North in NATO» research project, which is funded by the Ministry of Defence of Finland and Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.
