Nordic Defense Ministers Met in Lapland: Updated NORDEFCO With New Agreement
The Nordic defense ministers at Rovaniemi Air Base, Northern Finland: (from left) Pål Jonson (Sweden), Troels Lund Poulsen (Denmark), Antti Häkkänen (Finland), Tore O. Sandvik (Norway), and State Secretary Martin Eyjólfsson (Iceland). (Photo: The Finnish Ministry of Defense)
New measures are bolstering Nordic defense cooperation. Gathered in Rovaniemi, the Nordic defense ministers signed a revised NORDEFCO Memorandum of Understanding – and discussed stronger joint efforts within air defense and the defense industry.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing the Nordic Defense Cooperation (NORDEFCO) was signed in 2009.
Last week, the Nordic Ministers of Defense signed a revised MoU on the cooperation during a meeting in Rovaniemi, Finnish Lapland.
The new version incorporates the significant development of NORDEFCO in recent years, particularly in the wake of Russia's war against Ukraine and Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO.
"A strong Nordic defense cooperation is more important than ever. Now, we are reaching another milestone by signing an updated agreement for the cooperation, which reflects that we are allies in NATO," says Norwegian MoD Tore O. Sandvik (Labor), and continues:
"The agreement underlines how important close and good cooperation is in defending the Nordic region and that all five countries will stand together in further strengthening and deepening the cooperation."
More specifically, the revised MoU specifies the purpose, objectives, structures and main principles of the cooperation.
The Nordic Ministers of Defense sign the updated NORDEFCO founding document. (Photo: Marita I. Wangberg / the Norwegian Ministry of Defense)
Nordic defense cooperation is entering a new era.
Extensive agenda
Finland chairs NORDEFCO in 2025, and the country's Minister of Defense Antti Häkkänen (National Coalition Party) led the meeting in Rovaniemi, which he says addressed an "extraordinarily heavy agenda."
First, the five ministers discussed how the countries will proceed with strengthening the Nordic defense and security of supply.
This included cooperation within air defense, the defense industry, and ammunition production as central topics.
The ministers also deliberated the security situation and issues regarding cooperation within NATO and the EU, support for Ukraine, and relations with the US.
In addition, they were briefed on the conditions of northern defense and Finnish conscript training in Lapland.
"The [renewed, ed. note] agreement lays the foundation for a rapid strengthening of joint defense and military security of supply. Nordic defense cooperation is entering a new era, where we respond to the changed security situation as part of NATO's deterrence and defense. We will also deepen our cooperation to strengthen the EU and continue our unwavering support for Ukraine", Häkkänen outlines.
The Russian aggression is still the biggest threat.
Threat landscape
The main message from the meeting is that even closer Nordic unity is crucial in the current security policy situation, writes the Danish Ministry of Defense.
Although not explicitly mentioned, the context is marked by US President Donald Trump's continued demands for American control over Greenland and threats that US forces will not defend NATO countries that do not pay enough.
"The Russian aggression is still the biggest threat against NATO and European stability," says the Danish MoD Troels Lund Poulsen (V), and continues:
"Two months ago, I was at the Finnish-Russian border, where only a fence separates the countries. This is a reminder that the threat is real and serious, not just in Finland, but all over Europe."
"Therefore, it is very positive that the Nordic countries are willing to do even more to strengthen the defense cooperation.
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Greenland trip on hold
At the end of April, the Danish minister of defense and minister colleagues, such as Tore O. Sandvik, were scheduled to go to Greenland to visit the Kingdom of Denmark's Arctic special operation force, Sirius.
According to the Danish Ministry of Defense, the trip was canceled due to poor weather but will take place at a later time.
The occasion was the 75th anniversary of the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, which primarily operates in Northeast Greenland. In addition, it is 50 years since Station Nord, the northernmost inhabited station on the island, was established as a military base, the ministry informs.
Close ministerial meetings
Last week, the Nordic prime ministers also gathered to discuss security issues in Northern Europe within the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) format.
JEF is a British-led multinational rapid reaction force with the Nordic and Baltic countries, as well as the Netherlands.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Labor) hosted the summit in Oslo.
On the agenda was i.a. how JEF can contribute to strengthening maritime security. Discussions on this topic included virtual participation from the Prime Ministers of Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
Among other things, the leaders of JEF agree to increase awareness of of the strategic dependencies in the whole JEF region:
"The JEF nations reaffirm the Baltic Sea region, the High North and the North Atlantic as our core, interlinked, geostrategic area of concern and mutual interest. We will increase awareness, understanding and coordination of activities and efforts across the whole JEF region complimentary to NATO and national operations", they state.
