In addition to access to military areas, Finland – the newest member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) – also allows the US to pre-position defense equipment as well as bring military aircraft, ships and vehicles into the country's territory.
The Finnish government has decided to sign a Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with the United States, which will allow the US military to use 15 military areas in the country.
According to the DCA document released by the Finnish government, these areas will include four air bases, a military port and a railway line leading to northern Finland, where the US military will have a depot along the railway line leading to the Russian border. In addition to access to military areas, Finland will also allow the US to pre-position defense equipment as well as bring military aircraft, ships and vehicles into the country's territory.
Negotiations on the DCA between Finland and the US lasted from August 2022 to October 2023. Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said that the DCA needs to be approved by the Finnish Parliament before signing, emphasizing that the agreement is legally binding on both sides. According to the Washington Post, the DCA signing ceremony is expected to be held in Washington, DC, on December 18.
Finland has ended its decades-long policy of military non-alignment and decided to apply to join NATO in 2022. In April this year, Finland - a country of 5.6 million people with a 1,340 km long border with Russia - was officially admitted, becoming the 31st member of this military alliance.
Several NATO countries already have similar bilateral defense agreements with the US. Last week, Finland’s Nordic neighbor Sweden, which is on track to join NATO, signed a similar agreement.
Another member of the alliance, Denmark, is expected to do the same in the near future.
KHANH HUNG
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