Finland to be part of Nato Response Force

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Finland is likely to be invited to take part in the military exercises of the NATO Response Force (NRF) next autumn, says Pauli Järvenpää, the top civil servant at the Ministry of Defence.
      NATO is preparing to make a decision in next autumn’s summit in Riga to allow non-NATO countries, such as Finland, Sweden, Australia, Japan, and South Korea, take part in the NRF.
      Finland’s participation in the NRF would be a natural follow-up to the formation of a Finnish EU battle group together with two NATO countries, Germany and The Netherlands. The German and Dutch parts of this detachment are part of both EU and NATO response forces.
     
The German-Dutch-Finnish force will be assembled during the course of next year. It will conduct exercises next autumn, and will be on duty for the first time in January 2007.
      It has been understood from the beginning that the Finnish EU detachment would take part in NATO exercises before going on duty. The President and government have approved this.
      If Finland decided to take part in NRF operations, the soldiers that are sent would most likely be the ones belonging to the EU detachment.
     
The EU Rapid Deployment Force will comprise 13 detachments of about 1,500 soldiers each - about 20,000 soldiers in all - but only two detachments will be on duty at any one time. The Nato Response Force will likewise consist of 20,000 soldiers.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Government proposes constitutional amendment on crisis management issue (2.12.2004)

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