Finland became on Tuesday, April 04, the 31st country – a member of NATO, expanding the Alliance, which is a strategic blow to the President of Russia Vladimir Putin. NATO member countries’ borders with Russia are being doubled, and the Alliance has gained access to a military with a long history of dealing with its larger neighbor.
Finland’s entry into NATO adds to the alliance one of the most powerful militaries in Western Europe, as well as intelligence-gathering and border surveillance capabilities developed over decades to counter the threat posed by Russia.
Active military personnel number 23,000, but its wartime strength can quickly rise to 280,000 thanks to an expanded conscription system that can mobilize up to a million soldiers. These capabilities are due to a commitment to security, in a country that shares more than 800 miles of border with Russia and received two invasions during the 20th century.
In terms of geography, the addition of the Finns to the Alliance adds a huge border, which is difficult to defend and complicates Russia’s calculations.
Finland’s artillery forces are the largest and best-equipped in Western Europe – with about 1,500 artillery weapons, including 700 howitzers, 700 heavy mortars and 100 rocket launchers, according to an analysis by the Wilson Center think tank.
As a major force internationally in the design of icebreakers, Finland will also play an important role in conducting maritime operations in the increasingly contested Arctic region.
Long borders, long history
The Finns repelled a Soviet invasion in 1939-40 at the start of World War II. Finland eventually lost some territory and agreed to remain formally neutral throughout the Cold War. But the fact that they temporarily contained the Soviet Union was a point of Finnish pride.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Finland joined the European Union in 1995, while remaining militarily nonaligned and maintaining cooperative relations with Moscow.
In 1994, Finland joined NATO’s “Cooperation for Peace” program, along with Sweden, and moved “closer” to the Alliance, without actually joining it. The decision by Finland’s leaders last year to initiate NATO accession processes – with the expectation that neighboring Sweden would follow – quickly reshaped the strategic balance in Europe.
Public opinion within the country changed significantly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: within a few months, almost 80% of Finnish citizens were in favor of joining NATO. The corresponding figure before the war was around 20%.
Essentially, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, NATO was revitalized and further strengthened. But the question that is now being raised for Finland is whether it will accept foreign troops on its soil, or even nuclear weapons belonging to allies.
