Finland holds the chairmanship of NORDEFCO in 2017

Finland will hold the chairmanship of NORDEFCO in 2017. The one-year chairmanship rotates among the Nordic countries. In 2016, it was held by Denmark and in 2018 Finland will pass it on to Norway.

The security policy situation in our neighbouring regions is reflected in the Nordic defence cooperation, too. In line with the government foreign and security policy report, Finland will promote closer interoperability and regional security.

One of our main objectives is to guarantee the continuity of ongoing projects and the attainment of the set goals, including exchange of situation awareness information, promotion of easy access with military capabilities between the Nordic countries, and the possibility of using alternate airfields in military aviation. Joint project planning and Nordic industrial cooperation are to be promoted in the defence materials sector.

In addition to the ongoing projects, the Finnish chairmanship intends to draw attention to certain specific themes.

Security of supply and society’s crisis resilience are critical to Finland’s defence, and therefore they will be at the top of our NORDFECCO chairmanship agenda. Our objective is to share experiences and map possibilities for future cooperation between the Nordic countries in the areas of security of supply, preparedness, logistical readiness, and crisis resilience.

The Nordic countries have traditionally been active in the monitoring of the security environment and exchange of information.  During the Finnish chairmanship, security dialogue will be enhanced and extended from the Baltic Sea region to the Arctic region due to its recently accentuated security policy, economic and strategic significance.

It is also necessary to test our cooperation capabilities in different situations. The Finnish chairmanship will provide the Nordic countries with opportunities to discuss scenarios of political decision-making. The aim is to examine the prerequisites for cooperation and potential areas of development.

The Nordic Armed Forces have capabilities to operate in cold winter conditions and over the bright summer months. During the Finnish chairmanship, the possibilities to reinforce Nordic cooperation in winter training will be examined.

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