Finland to host NATO land forces headquarters in Northern Europe

The Finnish city of Mikkeli will host the headquarters of NATO land forces in Northern Europe.

The new headquarters will be subordinated to NATO headquarters in Norfolk. “It is expected to start operating next year,” Yle reports, citing Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen.

At the same time, Finland will play a leading role in the new headquarters, and the commander of the Finnish Army will be the commander of the new headquarters.

The decision to locate NATO’s regional headquarters in Mikkeli is due to the fact that the city already has the headquarters of the Finnish Defence Forces.

“This way we get the best possible synergy for the operations of our own ground forces and NATO ground forces. The solution allows us to effectively plan ground forces operations in the northern areas of the Alliance,” Antti Häkkänen explained.

The Finnish army headquarters will continue to be responsible for the country’s defense. But now it will be joined by the staff of the NATO ground forces.

According to Finland’s Defense Minister, the decision to locate NATO’s regional headquarters in Mikkeli allows for effective planning of ground forces operations in the northern regions of the alliance.

“Finnish national defense and NATO defense must be able to cooperate seamlessly in normal and emergency circumstances,” Antti Häkkänen said.

He also noted that Finland had strong and high-quality national Defense Forces. He emphasized that the experience of the Finnish military was unique, especially in the North.

The countries that will be part of the command will be announced later. The staff of the new headquarters will be several dozen people in peacetime. The officers will come to Mikkeli from several NATO countries.

Next year, the country’s budget will allocate €8.5 million for the new headquarters, and the same amount will be needed annually thereafter. Part of the costs will be reimbursed from NATO’s general budget.

As previously reported, NATO has formed four multinational battlegroups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland in response to the threat to the Baltic states from Russia.