Finland and Sweden to increase military cooperation

"Collaboration in EU rapid deployment forces could serve as example"

Juhani Kaskeala

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"Finland and Sweden will enhance their military cooperation", said Chief of Defence Admiral Juhani Kaskeala in Helsinki on Tuesday during a visit to Finland by his Swedish colleague Lieutenant General Håkan Syrén.
      "Progressive intensity translates to more military exercises with ever-increasing number of troops taking part in them." According to Kaskeala, however, this growth can only continue to a certain point. "At some stage we'll reach the limit of our resources."
     
Future EU directives will regulate the use of Finnish and Swedish joint forces.
      "One example of this cooperation could be the EU rapid deployment crisis management forces", said Supreme Commander of the Swedish military, Håkan Syrén, at a press conference.
      A decision on the use of EU rapid deployment forces may already be reached in the next EU summit at the end of June. Kaskeala and Syrén agree that partnership between Finland and Sweden in international operations would seem natural after the positive cooperation experiences in Afghanistan and the Balkans.
      But ultimately it takes political decisions to determine whether the Finnish-Swedish troops will ever be sent out in the name of the EU.
      "Our job is just to evaluate what our capacity and competences are, and if we have the capability to work together", Kaskeala commented.
     
On Thursday the Finnish and Swedish air forces will perform a joint training exercise for the first time on both sides of the frontier. Roughly a score of Hawk and Hornet pilots from Finland, accompanied by Gripen and Viggen pilots from Sweden, will simulate a crisis management operation carried out in a no-fly zone.
      Towards the end of summer, a joint military exercise will be carried out in the archipelago region between the two countries. A Swedish submarine will also take part in this drill.
      In the last decade, Finland and Sweden have carried out five joint military exercises per year. In addition, Swedish and Finnish troops meet regularly in multilateral training exercises as well, seven times this year.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finland could be invited to NATO military exercises in coming years (28.5.2004)

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