Military

Finland Mulls NATO Troop Presence - Chief of Defense

MOSCOW (Sputnik) Finland is considering whether there should be troops from other NATO countries present in the country, having joined the alliance last year, the new Finnish Chief of Defense Forces said Thursday.
Sputnik
"We have made no decision about this, but we are considering different options: whether it will be an extended training activity, a rotation model, or some other type of activity," Janne Jaakkola said in an interview to Finland's broadcaster.
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Jaakkola, who took up the role of commander of the Finnish defense forces last week, said the Nordic nation had a relatively strong army and did not face any immediate threat, although he said that depended on how the conflict in Ukraine would unfold.
Finland became the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in April 2023. It is the only member state on the eastern flank that does not host foreign troops permanently. It wants to host a NATO ground forces headquarters in the city of Mikkeli, approximately 140 kilometers (87 miles) from the border with Russia.
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