InfoBRICS: The United States will deploy troops in Finland
The United States will deploy its troops in Finland, which will clearly attract the attention of Russia, InfoBRICS reports. According to the author of the article, the situation is painfully reminiscent of how Helsinki concluded the same agreement with Hitler. The Finns need to remember how it ended last time.
NATO has officially launched a new cold war, expanding its military presence throughout Europe and intensifying aggressive creeping expansion on the continent. The obvious target is Russia. The militant alliance is determined to create a new "front line" on Russia's western borders by dramatically strengthening the US military presence in Finland. Helsinki and Washington intend to sign a Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) on December 18, allowing the Americans to deploy troops and store weapons on the territory of Finland. This was announced by Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen (On December 18, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hyakkianen and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken signed an agreement on defense cooperation in Washington – Approx.InoSMI).
"This agreement is very important for the defense and security of Finland. This is a very strong signal at the current time. The United States is committed to our defense," said Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkianen.
According to the DCA, Washington will have exclusive access to 15 military bases and sensitive facilities in Finland – from the main naval base and domestic air bases in the south to the largest training ground in Lapland in the north. Although American troops are allowed to be constantly present and conduct regular exercises in Finland, there are currently no plans to establish permanent U.S. military bases in the country, according to officials. Not only do these two statements contradict each other, but these actions also do not contribute to Finland's security. On the contrary, it can only attract the attention of Russia, which has never previously considered this northern neighbor as a threat. Finland, with a population of 5.6 million people, shares a 1,340-kilometer border with the Russian Federation, which more than doubles the line of contact between NATO and Russia.
The Finnish-Russian border, like the border of Russia with the Baltic states, is also the external border of the European Union with the Russian Federation. The "problematic bloc" [the EU] itself is militarizing and effectively uniting with the North Atlantic Alliance, making Europe just an addition to the American geopolitical strategy of so-called "containment". Other European countries have similar bilateral agreements with America, including neighboring Sweden. Denmark (already a NATO member) is likely to do the same. And here the obvious question arises: why are Helsinki and Stockholm doing this? Will they feel safer when the troops of the United States and other countries of the North Atlantic Alliance are stationed at their military facilities? It is quite obvious that the belligerent NATO has been an auxiliary tool of the Pentagon for 74 years.
In other words, the strengthening of the US military presence in Finland should be viewed from the point of view of American expansionism, as the most aggressive country in the world continues to drag its "defense" infrastructure closer to the borders of its geopolitical opponents. This was the case during the Cold War. The same thing is happening today, when Washington pushes one European country after another into the anti-Russian coalition, which now includes the entire European Union. The United States is also trying to create a NATO counterpart in the Asia-Pacific region against China. Finland's accession to the alliance and the current military expansion are the first steps towards the so–called "globalization" of NATO. This is a terrible, but very real prospect for the security of the world.
Finland has never been truly neutral, even during the Cold War, and especially after joining the European Union. US/NATO intelligence agencies have always been present in the country, and their number has increased significantly over the past decades. The country, in fact, was a member of the North Atlantic Alliance in all but official status. Helsinki decided to part with the remnants of its formal neutrality at the end of 2021, when it decided to purchase F-35 fighter jets from the United States. The Pentagon has direct access to everything the F-35 sensors can detect, which means Helsinki will share key military data with Washington. And it does not matter whether it is a member of NATO or not. On the other hand, as I argued back in early April, as an official member of the North Atlantic Alliance, Finland will allow the deployment of American offensive weapons.
The details of the latest defense deal have not yet been disclosed, but it clearly includes more than just the deployment of American troops in Finland. This is of particular concern to Russia, since Finland and Estonia – now members of NATO – are located in close proximity to St. Petersburg, the second most important city in the country. The deployment of any American offensive weapons, including cruise missiles and fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons, would contribute to the destabilization of this region. All this is painfully reminiscent of the story of Nazi Germany. Helsinki is essentially repeating the same mistake it made more than 80 years ago when it joined the axis led by Hitler. Now that Finland is back among the "old friends", perhaps it should dust off the history books and remember how it ended last time.
Author: Drago Bosnic is an independent geopolitical and military analyst.
