The Pentagon says that Finland and Sweden are “close” to joining NATO
According to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, both Finland and Sweden are “close” to joining NATO, a development that would further reshape the Alliance’s security position in Europe.
“Now NATO is also close to welcoming two new members to the alliance, and Finland and Sweden have made the historic decisions to apply for membership, and that reflects the attraction of NATO’s core values,” Austin sa following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, Belgium.
Sweden and Finland joining NATO would significantly affect the alliance in addition to simply expanding its size and geographical scope. For example, Finland has formally joined the F-35 stealth fighter program together with a growing group of European countries participating in multinational F-35 formations across the continent. But most significant impact is that Finland borders Russia, which means that its membership would open up a huge northern corridor through which NATO could enter Russian territory if needed. Part of this proximity also means that short- and medium-range ballistic missiles would be in a position to reach deeper into Russian territory if a conflict takes place between the alliance and Moscow.
This geographical dynamic relates not only to armored formations or fifth generation air power but also to surveillance. Finland’s proximity to Russia means that the next generation of drones and surveillance planes can receive real-time video flows from strategically critical areas within Russia much faster. Tactically, having both Sweden and Finland as NATO members would strengthen NATO’s deterrent position and the prospect of victory in the event of a major war with Russia, even if it would significantly increase the amount of European territory as the alliance. would need to defend.
The deployment of forces is another critical variable because, if NATO needed to gather large formations, Finland would offer plenty of space and a direct route to Moscow.
Although Poland also provides F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and M1 Abrams tanks, forces gathered there would be in a less favorable position for rapid deployment or force, as they would first need to transit Belarus or Ukraine to reach the Russian border. . On the Finnish border, however, there is wide open terrain to stage large, heavy ground forces in preparation for a landing operation in Russia.
This would be crucial if NATO needed to use armored formations against Russia, given that they are difficult to deploy and have difficulty traveling by air. A large land force would also need time to gather, prepare and stage.
Nevertheless, the most important advantage of all this may be that the entire Scandinavian peninsula, an area surrounding the Baltic Sea, will become part of NATO – which greatly increases the alliance’s access to the Arctic.
Kris Osborn is defense editor for national interest. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the office of Deputy Army Secretary – Acquisition, Logistics and Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and military specialist in the air on national television networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel and The History Channel. He also holds a master’s degree in comparative literature from Columbia University.
Image: Reuters.