A Finnish border crossing with Russia. Finland recently signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement with the U.S. allowing troops and material to be used on its soil. AFP/GETTY IMAGES
THE WATCH STAFF
NATO’s newest member, Finland, which shares a border with Russia, signed a bilateral defense cooperation agreement on December 18, 2023, with the United States that would let Washington send troops into the Nordic country to bolster its defense and store weapons and military equipment there. Under the deal, Finland will allow U.S. troops access to 15 military areas and facilities covering the entire Nordic nation all the way from a key southern naval base and inland air bases to a vast remote Army training area in Lapland, in the Arctic north. U.S. troops can be deployed in Finland, but there aren’t any immediate plans for military bases, according to The Associated Press.
The agreement signals a further deepening of the alliance between Finland and the U.S. and NATO. Finland’s military defensive expertise and knowledge of the Arctic provide added capabilities to the global multilayered defense strategy, adding more security to the northern approaches to the U.S homeland.
Finland’s reputation for providing an effective military presence in the region was forged during the Cold War. “Helsinki maintained a strong national defense posture, the cornerstones of which are conscription and a large, well-trained reserve. The relatively cheap conscription system and having a large reserve instead of a large active-duty force allowed Finland to maintain a credible defense,” wrote researchers from the Finnish National Defence University in a 2022 commentary in War on the Rocks, a military news website.
The pact, which still must be approved by Finnish lawmakers, “is very significant for Finland’s defense and security,” said Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen, stressing that the Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) is judicially binding on both sides. “It bears a very strong message in this time. The United States is committed to our defense,” Häkkänen told reporters, according to the AP.
“We have taken important steps with our key strategic partner and ally to deepen our relations. The Defence Cooperation Agreement is an integral part of strengthening our bilateral cooperation and complements Finland’s NATO membership. I believe that in the future, our cooperation will become increasingly stronger in the fields of security, economy and technology. Finland also considers it important that the transatlantic relationship between the EU and the United States further intensifies,” said Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen, according to a news release from her ministry.
Finland joined NATO in April 2023 after decades of military nonalignment after Russia’s assault on Ukraine. The nation of 5.6 million shares a 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border with Russia that makes up a significant part of NATO’s northeastern flank and acts as the European Union’s external border in the north.
Several NATO countries have similar bilateral defense agreements with the U.S as they have reassessed the Russian threat. In December 2023, Finland’s neighbor Sweden, which has also asked to join NATO, signed a similar agreement. Denmark signed a DCA with the U.S. on December 19, 2023, and Norway inked one in 2021.