MILITARY ASPECTS OF COOPERATION BETWEEN FINLAND AND THE USA: CHALLENGES FOR RUSSIA

Abstract

The article analyses military and political factors of cooperation between Finland and the United States since 1990s up to the present. The author attempts to show the role Finnish defence forces in the US military reinforcement plans in the Northern European Theater of Operations. The author focuses on the American security interests in Finnish territories, as well as expert views on the US priority in Finland’s foreign policy, including the latest public opinion polls. The aim of US military reinforcement in Finland is twofold. First, to pose a threat to Russia. Second, to help the US military improve surveillance, intelligence and analysis capabilities in real time in north-west Europe and the North Atlantic. Within the context of challenges to Russia’s security, the major institutional arrangements, military trends and consequences of cooperation are discussed. Finally, scenarios for the development of Finnish-US relations within NATO are proposed.

Keywords

• finland
• usa
• nato
• defence cooperation
• finnish defence forces
• arctic