June 6, 2026, 10:51 p.mJune 6, 2026, 10:51 p.m
NATO soldiers on the Iron Spear exercise in Latvia. (Archive image, May 2026)Image: keystone
NATO is expanding its presence in Sweden and Finland. Newly created units began operations in the two Nordic countries on Saturday, the military alliance announced.
The so-called Forward Land Forces (FLF) include a combat force on Swedish soil and a multinational headquarters in Rovaniemi, Finland. The region is “one of the most strategically important, with an environment that is one of the most difficult in the world,” said the commander in chief of NATO troops in Europe, US General Alexus Grynkewich. The decision to create the Forward Land Forces in Finland was made at the NATO summit in Washington in 2024.
The long non-aligned Finland, which has a border of more than 1,300 kilometers with Russia, joined NATO in April 2023. The reason for the about-face was the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Sweden also gave up its traditional neutrality because of the Ukraine war and joined NATO in 2024. (sda/apa/afp)