Permanent Secretary Pulkkinen and Finnish business delegation to visit Allied Command Transformation

Permanent Secretary of Finland’s Ministry of Defence Esa Pulkkinen will visit Allied Command Transformation (ACT) in Norfolk in the United States on Friday 21 November 2025.

During his visit, Permanent Secretary Pulkkinen will attend NATO’s first defence and industry event for Finnish companies at the ACT headquarters. Pulkkinen will be accompanied by representatives of ten Finnish defence industry companies. The focus of the visit will be on closer cooperation between the Alliance and the Finnish defence industry.

“On one hand, Finland’s membership in NATO creates opportunities for Finnish companies to join in on NATO Common Funding procurements. On the other hand, the expertise of the Finnish defence industry supports NATO’s transformation, ensures NATO’s technological advantage and enables Finland to maintain domestic access to critical expertise,” Permanent Secretary Pulkkinen says.

Another topic for the visit is the Finnish concept for comprehensive security especially from the perspective of public–private partnerships.

Allied Command Transformation (ACT) in Norfolk in the United States is a NATO command that leads the transformation of the Alliance, coordinates Allies’ defence planning and manages common funding capability projects. The headquarters of Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFCNF) is also located in Norfolk. JFCNF is NATO’s joint force command for the Atlantic and ensures the strategic link between Europe and North America.

Since 2023, the number of Finnish soldiers has been growing steadily at the two NATO headquarters in Norfolk.

“Finnish expertise and experience bring added value to the Alliance. As a new member, Finland has gained access to key positions where decisions are made about NATO’s future. The two headquarters in Norfolk play key roles in sustaining and developing NATO’s deterrence and defence and in ensuring the security of both the Alliance and Finland,” Pulkkinen says.

Inquiries: Karri Lahtinen, Military Assistant to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, tel. +358 295 140 112, and Johanna Hämäläinen, Senior Specialist, Ministry of Defence, tel. +358 295 140 086.