NATO to station ground forces headquarters in Finland Near Russian border

The headquarters for NATO's land forces in the Nordic region will be stationed in Mikkeli, a city located approximately 140 kilometres from Russia’s border, according to an announcement by Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen during a briefing.

“We plan to station a sub-command of NATO ground forces in Mikkeli. The Finnish Land Forces Command in Mikkeli was the clear choice for hosting the NATO command,” Häkkänen stated, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

The NATO Land Forces Command will oversee planning, training, and operational directives for ground forces in Northern Europe, according to Finland's Defence Ministry. During peacetime, it will also focus on training activities, with both Finnish defence forces and allied personnel working together at the headquarters.

Mikkeli already serves as the headquarters for Finland's Ground Forces, making it an ideal location for the NATO command post. A press release from the Finnish Ministry of Defence confirmed that NATO will make final political decisions regarding the specifics of this new headquarters by 2025, in line with the upcoming military planning period.

Earlier reports indicated that the headquarters will manage NATO's training activities in the region during peacetime. This emerging high-readiness command will operate continuously and report to NATO’s headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, on the U.S. East Coast.

Finland officially became NATO’s 31st member in April 2023.

By Tamilla Hasanova