Finland, US Sign Defense Agreement Against Russian Warnings

Finnish reservists of the Guard Jaeger Regiment stand at a shooting range as they take part in a military exercise at the Santahamina military base in Helsinki, Finland, on March 7, 2023. Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP via Getty Images

Finland and the United States have signed a defense cooperation agreement that will grant the U.S. military broad access to the Nordic nation.

The bilateral defense cooperation agreement (DCA) would allow the United States to deliver swift military access and aid to Finland in the event of a conflict in Europe, according to officials.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen signed the agreement on Dec. 18, hailing the document as a leap forward in bilateral security issues.

“Today, we will further strengthen our security bonds by signing a defense cooperation agreement,” Mr. Blinken said.

“When it goes into effect, our militaries will be able to cooperate more efficiently and more effectively. Our troops will have more opportunities to train together, and we will bolster NATO’s interoperability.”

Finland Prepares Against Russian Aggression, Again

Finland joined the NATO military alliance earlier in the year in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The nation’s bid to join marked a stark departure from the previous status quo, possibly signaling a decline in Russia’s ability to project power internationally.

Unlike other nations, Finland successfully defended an attempted Soviet conquest in 1939, although it lost some territory in the conflict. Since then, it has shared a roughly 830-mile border with Russia.

Notably, the nation remained largely neutral throughout the Cold War, unable to oppose Soviet policy outright for fear of retaliation from the great power, a phenomenon now known as “Finlandization.”

That tumultuous history and Finland’s new break from the precedent was the subject of numerous comparisons to Ukraine on Dec. 18.

“Finland knows almost better than anyone what is at stake for Ukraine,” Mr. Blinken said to Mr. Hakkanen.

“Your history is also a reminder of why it’s so important that we all continue to stand with Ukraine, for autocrats who try to redraw one nation’s border by force almost certainly will not stop there.”

The DCA is a bilateral agreement that offers additional benefits to the United States and Finland beyond those associated with NATO membership.

The agreement grants U.S. forces access to 15 facilities and other areas throughout Finland where the U.S. military will be able to store military equipment and ammunition.

The access areas include four airbases, a military port, a training area in the Arctic, and access to railways in northern Finland, near the border with Russia.

“Today, NATO is bigger, it’s stronger, it is more united than at any point in its nearly 75-year history,” Mr. Blinken said. “And that’s in no small part thanks to Finland’s accession.”

US Expands Military Footprint in Europe

The signing of the DCA is part of a wider U.S. effort to expand its presence in Europe and provide stability against increasingly hostile regimes in Eurasia and the Middle East.

The United States has signed similar agreements with Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, and Sweden. Mr. Blinken said another DCA would be signed with Denmark later in the week.

“We now have a network of defense cooperation agreements that stretches from northern to southern Europe from the North Sea to the Black Sea, providing security and stability for people all across the continent,” Mr. Blinken said.

Sweden requested to join NATO alongside Finland but has been rebuffed by Hungary and Turkey, which maintain ties with Russia and have issued complaints about relations with the Nordic nation over varied diplomatic issues.

However, Finland maintains close ties with neighboring Sweden and is working to upgrade railway infrastructure on the border, which would make it easier for allies such as the United States to send reinforcements and equipment to the region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, for his part, has said that the DCA will create “problems” in the region and has vowed to increase Russia’s military presence along the border with Finland should the agreement go into effect.

According to the Russian government, it plans to reorganize military divisions and deploy more troops in the northwest in response to what it sees as “NATO’s desire to build up military potential near the Russian borders.”

There are currently no plans for permanent U.S. bases in Finland, although the DCA allows a permanent U.S. presence in the nation.

Likewise, Finland won’t allow the storage or transportation of nuclear and biological weapons or anti-personnel mines on or through its territory, in accordance with nonproliferation treaties it committed to previously, officials said.

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, who was present at the DCA signing, hauled the agreement as “a great milestone” that would take U.S.–Finnish cooperation “to the next level.”

Russia made a grave miscalculation by invading Ukraine, she said.

“By attacking Ukraine, Russia committed a monumental strategic error,” Ms. Valtonen said. “Continuing strong support to Ukraine remains a key priority for us.”