Finland, which had long been non-aligned, joined Nato in April 2023 due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Now, almost a year and a half after joining, the establishment of the first Nato command base is announced in Mikkeli, around 230 kilometres north-east of the capital Helsinki and less than 150 kilometres from the Russian border.
The Finnish Army Command is already based in Mikkeli. By merging the locations, the best possible synergy between the national and NATO command levels will be achieved and Finland will send a message to Russia that it is a full member of NATO, according to the Finnish Defence Minister.
Mikkeli in Finland. Source: Google Maps
Accordingly, a new Northern European centre for the NATO land forces is to be established in Mikkeli. The NATO defence ministers had already decided in June to station the rotating Forward Land Forces (FLF), which serve to secure the eastern alliance countries, in Finland as well. The date of the first deployment will be announced at a later date.
Source: ntv
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