Finland has done its best in forming alliances with the West, writes ‘s political editor Maria Stenroos.
Maria Stenroos NATO special reporter
Defense cooperation agreement between Finland and the United States (Defense Cooperation AgreementDCA) is probably the last link in strengthening Finland’s defense with the help of foreign countries.
Two other international agreements that bring security are EU membership and joining NATO. NATO’s strongest country, the United States, has a similar defense cooperation agreement with most of NATO’s eastern edge countries and soon also with all the Nordic countries.
The agreement was made so that the United States could defend Finland. Finland calculates that the very existence of the agreement prevents a possible attack.
The US does not defense cooperation agreements for their own good, but they serve its own security interests.
In the future, it can plan to transport its troops and operate through the Nordic countries and almost the entire eastern border of NATO. Finland is aware of this, and in the opinion of the government and the defense forces, the benefit is mutual.
However, the agreement is only the beginning, as the paper contains the framework for future cooperation. Later, we will agree what kind of troops will come to Finland and when. It is also still open how many American soldiers there would be in Finland, and whether they would be here continuously.
Agreement published today is a practical paper. In that, the countries have agreed on how the US troops will come to Finland, where and how they will operate here. For example, soldiers can travel here without a passport or visa. The agreement also states that troops’ mail can be stamped with US postmarks.
The same paper also contains major principled solutions: when the troops store weapons here, for example, they must comply with Finnish laws and obligations. According to current law, nuclear weapons cannot be stored in Finland.
But as in Finland’s NATO agreement, nuclear weapons are not mentioned in the paper as such. In this way, Finland leaves open the possibility that the situation may someday be different.
The contract itself is a significant policy change to the way Finland has acted with the soldiers of another country up until now. In the future, US troops can use Finnish territories and store weapons here, for example.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Defense, the agreement still does not violate Finland’s right to self-determination. After all, the agreement was made voluntarily, and based on it, nothing happens that is not good for Finland.
15 military districts will be opened also for US forces. The selection of regions has been guided by a few principles:
The areas include all Finnish air bases and the air war school. In air defense, the countries also operate with the same equipment, with F35 fighters arriving in Finland in a couple of years.
There are also military areas all the way from Russaro in the south and Upinnieme to Ivalo in the north. Finland’s largest garrison at Vekaranjärvi in Kymenlaakso will also open to the United States. There are shared areas practically all over Finland.
The military importance of the Arctic regions is increasing. That’s why the United States is interested in developing its Arctic expertise, and the list includes, for example, the Sodankylä jaeger brigade, the Rovajärvi shooting range and the already mentioned Ivalo.
Among the maritime areas on the list are, for example, Upinniemi, Raasepori and Syndalen. For example, naval special forces can train with them.
The most interesting in advance points in the agreement are facilities or areas to which only the United States has access. The Ministry of Defense wants to remove the mystery surrounding the issue: in practice, the question is whose key card allows access to which door. If the United States wants to limit access to some space, it agrees with Finland on this. Finland, on the other hand, can decide for itself which areas the United States can and cannot access in military areas.
According to the Ministry of Defence, not all areas will necessarily receive troops. On the other hand, troops can train elsewhere.
Ukrainian war has revolutionized the international dimension of Finland’s defense when non-alignment has been given up. When the United States and Finland sign the DCA agreement next week in Washington, Finland will be as closely allied with Western defense as possible. The changes have been made so that Finland would be safe from Russia.
The future is always uncertain, but at least Finland has done its best in forming alliances.