NATO Forward Land Forces set sights on Finland’s high north

Finland has designated Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, as the permanent location for NATO’s Forward Land Forces (FLF) Multinational Staff Element (MNSE), marking a key step in strengthening the Alliance’s deterrence and defence posture in Northern Europe, Yle reports.

“Earlier we succeeded in securing the support of our Allies for our approach to FLF Finland. The implementation of that model has progressed well. The MNSE will form FLF Finland’s permanent presence in Northern Finland. The focus of FLF Finland’s battlegroup activities will be in Northern Finland and largely supported by Rovaniemi and Sodankylä. Considering the synergies and the ability to support the activities, Rovaniemi is the best location for a permanent FLF Staff Element in Finland,” said Finnish Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen.

The MNSE’s structure will evolve over the coming years, with roughly half of its activities carried out by the framework nation and host nation, and the remainder by contributing Allies. Häkkänen noted, “The peacetime strength of the MNSE will reach the same level as the Multi Corps Land Component Command in Mikkeli. This is a step towards strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence in the High North and the Arctic region. The MNSE should eventually have a few dozen employees. Together with the Allies contributing to FLF Finland, we are enhancing readiness across the Alliance and building even better interoperability.”

The Forward Land Forces form a core element of NATO’s peacetime operations. Under normal conditions, the FLF trains and exercises alongside national home defence forces. Finland will host the MNSE permanently, while troop deployments will be adjusted according to exercises and the prevailing security situation. In the event of a heightened threat, the FLF presence could scale up to brigade size, with Allies maintaining the capability to reinforce the land forces during peacetime.

Sweden will serve as the framework nation for FLF Finland, with additional contributions from the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland, highlighting broad European participation in NATO’s forward defence initiatives.

By Vafa Guliyeva