Finnish Defence Minister signs agreements on Nordic airspace, NATO satellite imaging and cloud technology use, indicating progress in Finland and Sweden’s integration into NATO

On Tuesday, Finnish Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen signed a statement concerning the use of Nordic airspace, a mutual understanding protocol for NATO’s satellite imaging reconnaissance, and a letter of intent for multinational cooperation in the use of cloud technology. These agreements are not legally binding.

Security and interoperability in all situations and environments are of paramount importance to NATO. A strong northern region enhances NATO’s deterrence and defense capabilities as well as military cooperation, Häkkänen said.

So, what does this mean in practice for Finland?

The main objective of the statement on the use of Nordic airspace is to improve and strengthen the planning and execution of air operations in Northern Europe. The declaration states that the Nordic countries intend to cooperate in developing solutions for shared use of airspace suitable for NATO. This could mean larger air defense training areas, which could extend to several countries.

One of the aims is for the Nordic countries to be able to plan and execute joint air operations to defend and monitor the region.

However, it is essential to understand that this is a declaration of intent, not a legally binding contract. All decisions related to the agreement are national, meaning they are not universally binding but instead seek solutions on a case-by-case basis.

In terms of NATO’s satellite imaging reconnaissance, the goal is to improve satellite imaging capabilities by using existing resources from member countries. Finland will contribute to the program by producing images that member countries can share and provide interpretation services for NATO.

Satellites are a crucial part of NATO’s current defense strategy. The use of satellite imaging in defense aids in information gathering and situation awareness.

As for the letter of intent regarding multinational cooperation in the use of cloud technology, the aim is to develop cloud services and their use. The intention is also to explore how NATO member countries can combine national cloud and edge services by utilizing the alliance’s digital backbone network.

Häkkänen previously signed a letter of intent for naval mine cooperation. In practice, this means that a unified mining system will be acquired for the Baltic Sea area.

The new NATO documents aim to streamline member states’ cooperation and show that NATO is strengthening. A stronger NATO, in turn, creates a deterrent towards Russia.

The documents also signal that Finland and Sweden’s integration into NATO is progressing rapidly.

However, the significance of these agreements should not be exaggerated. The main change is that things are moving forward like a steam train. Political obstacles to cooperation aiming at the capability of Article 5 have been removed.

The aim is to create an image that NATO is an energetic, innovative, and forward-looking organization.