Policy|Correspondent ‘s comment
The benefits of Finnish-Swedish defense co-operation are now being seen in the war in Europe and Finland and Sweden outside NATO’s security guarantees.
Stockholm
Only the sky is the limit.
This is how he described it The then Minister of Defense of Finland Stefan Wallin (r) how far defense co-operation between Finland and Sweden could go.
It was January 2012, and commander of the Swedish Defense Forces Sverker Göranson had presented the idea of a common Nordic air defense.
In Sweden, co-operation was tuned mainly because it would save money. Not because there is a real fear of an enemy attack.
Stefan Wallin was in favor of increasing co-operation between Finland and Sweden.
January 2012 was taken important steps on the long path of defense cooperation, which has led to the March 2022 Sauli Niinistö and Joe Biden “come up” to call the Swedish Prime Minister from the White House To Magdalena Andersson.
Read more: Co-operation between Finland and the USA is intensifying, Niinistö said after meeting at Biden’s White House – “NATO’s open door policy continues”
The destinies of Finland and Sweden are once again intertwined. And again, it is Russia that is pushing countries closer together and closer to the United States.
Because when Russia occupied Ukraine in Crimea in 2014, defense co-operation between Finland and Sweden really gained momentum.
Then It had already been aroused in Sweden that disarming the army and ending conscription was not a good idea. Commander Göranson, who spoke in January 2012 about a joint Nordic air defense, had uttered an unfortunate truth in December of the same year: Sweden’s defense against the attack would take up to a week.
It was like a cry for help.
In Sweden, policymakers had lived in a world that was moving towards peace as Finland was still preparing for war.
Sweden began to invest again in its armed forces. Finland and Sweden began to deepen co-operation and prepare to defend their countries together. Partnerships were entered into jointly and severally with others, including the United States. The fruits of the work done over the years are being reaped now that there is a war in Europe and Finland and Sweden outside NATO’s security guarantees.
Read more: Sweden drove down its army and looked at Finland – Graphs show the power of joint Finnish-Swedish armed forces
With regard to NATO, there is an ongoing debate in both countries that could lead to historic line changes. With regard to NATO, the countries are coordinating their efforts together, but many experts estimate that the initiative is in Finland’s hands.
Together, it is also easier to negotiate with the United States. Now that the President of the United States is talking to the President of Finland, Sweden is on the line. Sweden has often taken Finland to the west, but now it is Finland, followed by Sweden.
Read more: Biden keeps the door open as Finland and Sweden step towards NATO
If Finland in “normal” times there is not much in the Swedish public, now it is different. Now the Swedish public debate is full of speculation about what Finland is doing. Are the Finnish Social Democrats turning to NATO?
So far, there are more questions than sure answers.
On the front page of Sunday’s Dagens Nyheter is a picture of the Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marinista (sd), behind which is the Swedish Prime Minister Andersson.
“We are deepening our cooperation with NATO,” Marin says in the headline.
On Saturday, the front page of the magazine said that there was now a record level of support for Sweden’s NATO membership (46 per cent). Under the heading, it was estimated that if Finland went towards NATO, Sweden could follow suit.
Read more: Marin and Andersson: Finland and Sweden intend to continue closer co-operation – Prime Ministers did not comment on possible NATO talks
The connection between the destinies of Finland and Sweden also appears in detail in Sweden.
From day to day, a lieutenant colonel in the Swedish Defense Forces appears in the Swedish media, who also serves as a teacher of military strategy. He opens up the twists and turns of the Ukrainian war in newspapers, radio and television.
The lieutenant colonel is Joakim PaasikiviPrime Minister and President of the Finnish wartime force JK Paasikivi grandson. Paasikivi has served in the army in Finland and is pursuing a military career in Sweden.
There are officers in the Finnish and Swedish Defense Forces who have been trained in both countries. Cooperation between Finland and Sweden is a key part of university officer training. Air and naval forces have made the most progress in defense cooperation.
Whichever line Finnish and Swedish politicians choose, the Finnish and Swedish defense forces have practiced for it.
Discussions between Finland, Sweden and the United States continue. The common goal is to strengthen the Nordic defense. The “process” has started, and time will tell where it will take.
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