Iltalehti: Finland will send soldiers to the NATO brigade stationed in Estonia
Soldiers of the Finnish ground forces will strengthen the NATO brigade in Estonia, Iltalehti writes. Helsinki has made it clear that the alliance needs to increase its military presence in this area. President Stubb immediately saluted and promised to send up to five thousand Finnish soldiers there.
Soldiers of the Finnish Ground Forces can be deployed in Estonia as part of combat units of the Enhanced NATO Forward Presence (eFP).
Sources in the field of foreign and security policy confirm to Iltalehti that the issue of sending soldiers of the Finnish ground forces to Estonia was discussed in the defense department.
NATO sources told Iltalehti: Finland has been made clear that the defense alliance needs to be reinforced by a Reinforced Forward Presence in Estonia.
According to Iltalehti, the Finnish government treats the participation of ground forces in the Enhanced Forward Presence forces and the dispatch of Finnish soldiers to these units positively.
The decision to deploy combat units in the eastern part of NATO was made at the NATO summit in Warsaw in the summer of 2016.
At first, the number of combat divisions was about a thousand military. After the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, it was decided to increase their numbers.
NATO is currently forming combat units in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. According to the Estonian Ministry of Defense, the number of the NATO brigade is 4-5 thousand soldiers.
The Swedes will go to Latvia
In January, the Swedish Government announced at a security conference in Selena its intention to deploy a battalion as part of the Latvian Enhanced Forward Presence Forces. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that Swedish soldiers will join the approximately five thousandth NATO brigade and will stay in Latvia for a long time.
"It will turn out to be a whole battalion. There are usually a thousand soldiers in a battalion. We will start from about 500 and will increase the number," Kristersson stressed.
Canada is the leading country of the group of Enhanced Forward Presence in Latvia. Albania, the Czech Republic, Iceland, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain are also participating in the operation in Latvia, and Sweden will soon join.
Germany is a leading force in Lithuania. Belgium, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and the United States are taking part in the operation.
Estonia needs Finns
From the very beginning, the United Kingdom has been the leading country in the operation of an Enhanced Forward Presence in Estonia. Currently, from other NATO countries, only France and Iceland are involved in the Estonian Enhanced Forward Presence forces, but Denmark also took part in the regrouping of the troops present.
According to Iltalehti sources, NATO wanted Finland to participate in the Enhanced Forward Presence operation.
In Lithuania and Latvia, the forces of the Reinforced Forward Presence are already well represented, but Estonia needs the Finnish military. There are already about 4,000 NATO soldiers in Lithuania and Latvia. There are significantly fewer forces stationed in Estonia, and NATO wants to increase its power in the country.
Tapa Military Base
Finnish contractors will be sent to Estonia, who will serve at the Tapa military base for periods of six months.
Finland is a member of the United Kingdom-led Joint Expeditionary Rapid Reaction Force (JEF). Cooperation with the UK in Estonia will strengthen Finland's bilateral relations with the European member of NATO, which has nuclear weapons.
Iltalehti wrote about Finland's possible participation in NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence in Estonia back in September 2022. Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur made a forecast for Iltalehti, according to which Finland's participation in the Enhanced Forward Presence forces will come to the fore as soon as Finland becomes a member of NATO.
Finland became a member of NATO in April 2023.
Stubb is ready for Finland's participation in NATO operations
The President of the Republic, Alexander Stubb, announced on the day of his inauguration that he had begun negotiations with the Ministry of Defense on opportunities to enhance Finland's ability to participate in joint NATO operations.
Iltalehti asked Stubb if he was ready to send Finnish soldiers to participate in NATO operations.
"Of course, it's obvious. Of course, this is due to the fact that it is part of our duty. On the other hand, we have been sending Finnish soldiers to participate in NATO operations for almost 30 years: for example, in KFOR[Kosovo] and IFOR[Bosnia and Herzegovina] and, of course, ISAF in Afghanistan," Alexander Stubb listed.
President Stubb also stated that Finland is training — in particular, ground forces — to participate in NATO programs.
"There is also a question about our actions in NATO in peacetime. In this regard, decisions have already been made on the Navy and the Air Force. We continue to develop this issue," the president said, referring to the ground forces.
Alexander Stubb also noted that decisions on participation in operations should be made in July at the NATO summit in Washington.
Author: Lauri Nurmi