Close Menu
The Watch
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    The Watch
    Subscribe
    • Home
    • Top Stories
      • USNORTHCOM
      • Homeland Defense
      • Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
      • Russia
    • USNORTHCOM AOR
      • Arctic
      • North America
      • Mexico
      • The Caribbean
    • eTalk/Panel
      • Arctic eTalks
      • Arctic Academic eTalks
      • RUSI NS Panels
      • Perry Center eTalks/Panels
      • Ted Stevens Center eTalks/Panels
    • ASFR
    • Journal
      1. Enduring Partnerships – V6
      2. Mutually Beneficial Trusted Partnerships
      3. Regional Cooperation
      4. U.S. Shares Military Capabilities
      5. Special Reports
      6. Archive
      7. View All

      Fuerzas Amigas

      July 24, 2025

      Operation Amalgam Eagle

      July 24, 2025

      Mexico’s Cyber Force

      July 24, 2025

      Advancing Arctic Collaboration

      July 24, 2025

      Strengthening the Sweden-U.S. Partnership

      July 24, 2025

      Nordic Vision 2030

      July 24, 2025

      Countering CCP Presence

      July 24, 2025

      Defending the North American Arctic

      July 24, 2025

      Guardians of the Arctic

      July 24, 2025

      WHINSEC Supports Homeland Defense

      July 24, 2025

      Advancing Arctic Collaboration

      July 24, 2025

      Maritime Muscle

      July 24, 2025

      Mexico’s Cyber Force

      July 24, 2025

      Fuerzas Amigas

      July 24, 2025

      Operation Amalgam Eagle

      July 24, 2025

      Operation Fenix

      July 24, 2025

      U.S. Coast Guard cutter Healy departs for deployment to study pathways through Arctic ice

      July 25, 2025

      U.S. says Iran-linked hackers may target U.S. firms, infrastructure

      July 24, 2025

      USS Sampson busts smuggling operation in eastern Pacific

      July 24, 2025

      Operation Amalgam Eagle

      July 24, 2025

      U.S. Coast Guard cutter Healy departs for deployment to study pathways through Arctic ice

      July 25, 2025

      U.S. says Iran-linked hackers may target U.S. firms, infrastructure

      July 24, 2025

      USS Sampson busts smuggling operation in eastern Pacific

      July 24, 2025

      Operation Amalgam Eagle

      July 24, 2025

      U.S. Coast Guard cutter Healy departs for deployment to study pathways through Arctic ice

      July 25, 2025

      U.S. says Iran-linked hackers may target U.S. firms, infrastructure

      July 24, 2025

      USS Sampson busts smuggling operation in eastern Pacific

      July 24, 2025

      Operation Amalgam Eagle

      July 24, 2025
    • About Us
      • Contributors
    • Contact Us
    The Watch
    Home»USNORTHCOM AOR»Arctic»Finland defense deal with U.S. would bolster Arctic alliance
    Arctic

    Finland defense deal with U.S. would bolster Arctic alliance

    The WatchBy The WatchFebruary 21, 2024Updated:February 21, 2024No Comments3 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
    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.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Related Posts

    U.S. Coast Guard cutter Healy departs for deployment to study pathways through Arctic ice

    July 25, 2025

    U.S. says Iran-linked hackers may target U.S. firms, infrastructure

    July 24, 2025

    USS Sampson busts smuggling operation in eastern Pacific

    July 24, 2025

    Comments are closed.

    V6. ENDURING PARTNERSHIPS
    V6. INSERT

    Subscribe and download the latest issue

    The Watch is provided FREE to military and security professionals.

    The Watch
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest
    © 2025 The Watch.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.