Finland's security and defence policy distances itself from the tradition of non-alignment
Finland's security and defence policy has undergone a major change in the last few years. All this has happened at a time when Finland's official status as a non-member of a military alliance has remained intact.
The change is driven by the emergence of defence cooperation as a second track of external relations alongside foreign policy. At the same time, defence cooperation has become the most important driver of Finland's international activities, which has also contributed to a further decline in the de facto importance of non-militarisation. This has been reflected, among other things, in legislation. In the summer of 2017, the Defence Forces were given a fourth task, that of providing international assistance. This change was prompted by the amendment of the legislation on the provision and receipt of military assistance, which had been discussed for some time.
This surprising development is also reflected in Finland's security policy. In particular, President Sauli Niinistö has stressed that Finland wants to be an interesting partner in a potential crisis. In other words, Finland has signalled that it is willing and ready to provide military assistance if, for example, a military crisis were to arise in the neighbouring regions. Military non-alignment is no longer emphasised in Finland's security policy leadership.
Finland has made progress in defence cooperation, particularly on four fronts.
The nature of Finland's NATO partnership has changed. The focus of cooperation has shifted from crisis management to supporting Finland's national defence on the one hand and NATO's collective defence on the other. At the Wales Summit, Finland was elevated to the status of a strengthened partner. At the same time, Finland signed the so-called Host Country Agreement, which provides a framework for cooperation between Finland and NATO, especially in peacetime but also in the event of a crisis.
There has been a change in Finland's approach to the European Union's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Previously, Finland had reservations about anything referring to common defence. Nowadays, the EU is making progress on CSDP and is activating so-called permanent structured cooperation. During this process, Finland has this time been the actor to remind the EU that it is also a security and defence community with a Treaty obligation to provide joint assistance.
There is also action on the bilateral front. Finnish-Swedish cooperation has developed to the point where the countries are practising defending each other's territory. In September 2017, Finland participated in the Aurora 17 exercise, which focused on training Swedish territorial defence. The Swedes, for their part, have been involved in Finland's annual air force exercises.
Finland and the United States have pioneered cooperation, and Finland has moved closer to Washington politically and militarily than ever before. The countries' defence cooperation is guided by a Declaration of Intent signed in 2016, which has intensified cooperation on exercises. Speculation has been rife about whether the United States would provide military assistance to Finland in a potential crisis.
Finland has taken the right line in terms of closer defence cooperation. A logical continuation of this would be the organisation of a multinational military exercise focusing on Finland's defence. Once a line has been chosen, it must be pursued in a credible manner.
Matti Pesu
The author is a Visiting Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute and Editor-in-Chief of The Ulkopolitist online magazine. The text is based on the author's report published on 16 November by the Institute for Foreign Policy What non-alignment? Finland's security and defence policy stems from partnerships.