In Finland, in the city of Mikkeli, it will be located at the local general headquarters new NATO land forces command in Scandinavia. The town was chosen because it already has a Finnish military headquarters and an airport there. Additionally, the city is located 140 km from the border with Russia.
– The decision was made purely from a defense point of view. It is based on the overall assessment of the defense forces and the defense administration as to what is best for Finland's defense, said Antiin Hakkanen, head of the Finnish Ministry of Defense.
– This is also a signal to Russia that Finland is a full member of NATO. The Alliance's role in Finland's defense is strong, and Finland's defense is getting stronger every year, he said.
A new NATO base will be built in Finland. A strategic point has been selected
According to Hakkanen, by deploying NATO forces, Finland will achieve “the best possible synergy between national defense coordination and the coordination of NATO defense capabilities.” Ultimately, the international forces will consist of several dozen officers from various member countries.
The Finnish Ministry of National Defense reported that in peace conditions, the base will be responsible for the exercises within the North Atlantic Alliance. In turn, in the event of a crisis, the headquarters will be responsible supervising NATO ground forces operations.
The NATO headquarters in Mikkeli will start operating next year.
A base of allied forward FLF (Forward Land Forces) units is also to be established in Finland, which became a NATO member in spring 2023. According to reports, it will be in Lapland, but Hakkanen has not yet revealed the details of these plans.
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