Finland’s security environment was fundamentally altered when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Based on a reassessment of the security policy situation, Finland decided to apply for NATO membership in May 2022, and it became a full member in April 2023.
The Government Report on Finland's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation on 15 May 2022 notes:
"Through NATO membership, Finland would be part of NATO’s collective defence and would be covered by the security guarantees enshrined in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. The deterrent effect of Finland’s defence would be considerably stronger than it is at present. If Finland, as a NATO member country, became a target of military force, it would defend itself with the support of its allies according to plans prepared and rehearsed in advance. As a member of NATO, Finland would participate in making decisions on security policy issues that are of key importance to Finland. A combination of a strong national defence capability and NATO membership would be a credible security solution. Finland’s defence capability and resilience would strengthen NATO’s collective defence throughout the territory of the Alliance."
Finland has cooperated with NATO since 1994, when Finland joined the Partnership for Peace programme (PfP), and since 2014, Finland has participated in Enhanced Opportunities Partners programme (EOP).
NATO
Established in 1949 as a security alliance, the purpose of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means. NATO is a key actor in advancing transatlantic and European security and stability. It has 32 member countries, 23 of which are also members of the European Union.
NATO's capabilities consist of the national defence forces and capabilities of its member countries, which are developed through the common defence planning system and are interlinked by the integrated command and force structure. NATO provides standards, operating practices and exercises that enable military interoperability in multinational operations.
Collective defence is based, on the one hand, on a strong political commitment and show of solidarity among the member countries and, on the other hand, on concrete mechanisms for implementing collective defence. NATO provides a forum for North American and European countries to negotiate common security challenges and to decide on joint measure to address them. In addition to the North Atlantic Treaty, NATO's activities are guided by the Strategic Concept and the guidance provided by the member countries in the North Atlantic Council (NAC).
Decision-making in NATO
NATO is an intergovernmental organisation, meaning that it does not have supranational decision-making powers, unlike, for example, the European Union in certain sectors. Chaired by NATO Secretary General, the highest decision-making body is the North Atlantic Council (NAC) where each member country has a permanent ambassador-level representative. In addition to meeting regularly at the level of foreign and defence ministers, the NAC meets at the level of Heads of State or Government at Summits.
The committees under the NAC at NATO Headquarters in Brussels support its work and decision-making. They meet under the chairmanship of the Secretariat and, as is the case with the NAC, as a rule all member countries are represented in them. Each level and thematic entity has its own committee.
NATO's highest military body is the Military Committee, which advises the NAC on military issues. In the composition of military representatives, the Military Committee meets on a regular basis while in the composition of Chiefs of Defence of the member countries the Military Committee meets three times a year. NATO's military structure and all its activities are in line with the political guidance provided by the member countries.
Divided into civilian and military sides, the public officials at NATO Headquarters prepare the work of the NAC and its committees.
Decision-making in NATO is based on consensus between the member countries. The matter is considered closed when no NATO member country actively opposes the decision. Consensus making emphasises that decisions in NATO are taken jointly by the member countries and that all member countries are committed to the decision-making process.
It follows from the consensus principle that NATO functions through consultations. Negotiations, i.e. consultations, will take place between representatives of the member countries at different levels until agreement is reached, or it is concluded that it cannot be reached. Carried out both informally and formally at different levels, consultation is a continuous process in NATO.
The consensus requirement means that each member country has the possibility to stop (veto) NATO's decision-making when important national interests are at stake. Each member country participates fully in the decision-making process based on equality, irrespective of its size or its political, military or economic strength. To influence NATO's policies, active participation in the wording and preparing decisions is required.
Decisions to launch any operation are always made based on consensus among the member countries. All member countries are obliged to participate in operations under Article 5, but each country decides independently and in accordance with its national decision-making procedures on the nature and scope of its assistance. Member countries’ participation in crisis management operations is voluntary.
NATO Crisis Response System (NCRS) is a key element in NATO's capacity for crisis prevention and management. The system covers the structural model of decision-making, i.e. NATO Crisis Response Process (NCRP), various structures that have been prepared in advance, and operating models and arrangements that can be deployed, when necessary.
The purpose of the system is to ensure preparedness and support for comprehensive decision-making in all types of crisis. At the same time, it provides a structural framework for NATO's crisis response planning and a model that member countries can take into account in their own crisis response decision-making. As a result, the Crisis Response System in a way ties together the national decision-making of the North Atlantic Council and the member countries and relies on the preparations by NATO's military and civilian structures.
Decision-making related to NATO's crisis response is based on consensus among the member countries. It focuses on decisions made by the NAC, which are prepared and supported by the preparation and recommendations made by NATO committees and military structures. To ensure crisis preparedness, the Crisis Response System is regularly practised in decision-making and consultation exercises (CMX) and other exercises.
Tasks of NATO
The Alliance's top-level policy document, the Strategic Concept (2022) defines NATO’s tasks:
NATO's most important task is to maintain a credible defence capability against an armed attack or threat of an armed attack against a member country. Under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, an armed attack against one member country is considered an attack against them all. NATO has in place arrangements and mechanisms for implementing collective defence. This constitutes a credible deterrence against the use or threat of military force against the Alliance.
Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 led NATO to underscore its commitment to strengthening collective defence and deterrence. As part of NATO’s adaptation, presence in the Alliance’s eastern member countries has increased, the readiness and rapid response capabilities of troops have been developed, operational planning has improved and military exercises have been increased. In addition to conventional capabilities, NATO’s deterrence and defence posture is based on nuclear and missile defence capabilities. It is further complemented by cyber defence and space capabilities.
Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022, moved NATO to a turning point. NATO estimates that the security environment has undergone fundamental and long-term changes and it emphasises the unity of the member countries and collective defence in accordance with Article 5. In response to Russia's aggression against Ukraine, NATO has strengthened its military presence in the Alliance's eastern member countries and has supported Ukraine.
NATO has decided that Article 5 can be activated also in the case of cyber attacks or other hybrid threats if the North Atlantic Council makes a unanimous decision. In addition to defending the territory of the member countries, collective defence includes preparedness for new threats. Attention is increasingly paid to terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, hybrid influence activities, cyber attacks and energy security incidents, among other things. Attention will also be paid to security threats emerging from the southern neighbourhood.
NATO has implemented crisis management on the basis of the UN principles and its Security Council resolutions. The starting point is a comprehensive approach that emphasises close cooperation with other actors. NATO's own strength lies in demanding military crisis management, alongside which NATO prevents crises and participates in post-crisis stabilisation and reconstruction.
During the post-Cold War period, NATO's operational activities focused on crisis management operations outside its own territory, especially in the Balkans and Afghanistan. Since the number of the major crisis management operations has declined, NATO has developed its ability to contribute to conflict prevention. Training and exercises have become more central, as has NATO's Defence and Related Security Capacity Building (DCB) initiative aimed at certain partner countries to support stability and conflict prevention.
As a member of NATO, Finland continues to participate in NATO’s crisis management activities at its own discretion. As a partner country, Finland participated in NATO’s crisis management operations in the Western Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq, and it currently participates in two NATO-led crisis management operations, the KFOR operation in Kosovo and the NMI mission in Iraq.
NATO's Strategic Concept in 2022 defines cooperative security as the third core task of the Alliance. This includes issues related to NATO enlargement, partnership policy, cooperation with NATO partner countries and international organisations, and the role of the Alliance in maintaining rules-based international order and responding to climate change's security implications.
The open door policy, based on Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty, guarantees that NATO membership is open to all European democracies that share the values of the Alliance and are ready to commit to its responsibilities and contribute to collective security. The member countries decide on the admission of new members. NATO supports the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of candidate countries and aims to strengthen cooperation with these countries.
NATO has around 40 partner countries whose objectives for NATO cooperation vary greatly. The inclusion of partner countries in NATO processes and meetings is always on a case-by-case basis and requires consensus among the member countries. Political dialogue and practical cooperation with partners are seen to contribute to the security of the Alliance as a whole. NATO aims to strengthen its ties with all partners who share the Alliance's common values and interest in maintaining a rules-based international system.
Resilience has become central to NATO in responding to the challenges posed by the changing security environment. The Strategic Concept highlights the key importance of resilient societies and the connection to NATO's three core tasks. Resilience is seen as a key element of deterrence and defence. NATO's ability to implement and plan collective defence operations requires significant support from civilian authorities and the private sector.
In accordance with Article 3 of the North Atlantic Treaty, strengthening civil preparedness, i.e. non-military preparedness and contingency and national resilience, is the responsibility of the member countries, but NATO sets common objectives, monitors their fulfilment and supports the member countries in achieving them. The focus of preparedness work has shifted to strengthening the resilience of the member countries. In NATO, civil preparedness includes three core functions: securing functions related to the decision-making capacity of the state leadership, securing the functions vital to society, and supporting military defence.
Finland as a new member of NATO
As a member of NATO, Finland will still need a strong national defence capability, and it continues to decide independently on the principles for implementing its defence. Conscription, an extensive and trained reserve and a high will to defend the nation will remain the cornerstones in the future, too. Finland continues its close bilateral and multilateral defence cooperation as a member of NATO.
Finland’s defence will be integrated into the Alliance’s collective defence. Finland must have the capacity to deploy Defence Forces' troops to assist another NATO member country as well as the capacity to receive troops from other member countries to Finland.
Membership in NATO gives Finland access to the planning and implementation of collective defence in accordance with Article 5 and it joins NATO’s operational plans and the required leadership structures and systems. Finland participates more extensively in NATO’s exercises, including Article 5 exercises. Cooperation in sharing and receiving air and maritime situational awareness deepens while Finland is also part of the integrated air and missile defence system.
Finland participates in NATO's Defence Planning Process (NDPP) which is an ongoing core activity in NATO. The Defence Planning Process is based on the obligation under Article 3 of the North Atlantic Treaty to jointly and separately develop capabilities to defend against an armed attack. In NATO, the Defence Planning Process refers to developing the joint capabilities of the member countries and NATO. The NATO Defence Planning Process (NDPP) includes the primary means to facilitate the identification, development and delivery of NATO’s present and future capability requirements. The aim of NATO Defence Planning is to provide a framework within which national and Alliance Defence Planning activities can be harmonized to meet the agreed targets in the most effective way. In terms of capability development, the NATO Defence Planning focuses or harmonizes or aligns individual Allies Defence Planning activities, provides greater coherence and harmonisation, and focuses on the NATO medium term (7–19 years). It should not be confused with the planning of actual operations or defence of a region or with decision-making on the use of military assets.
As a member of NATO, Finland participates in certain peacetime collective defence tasks as separately agreed. NATO’s collective peacetime missions are an important element of the Alliance’s essential purpose where all Allies are prepared to support each other through contributing to deterrence and defence across Allied territory.
Finland sends personnel to work in NATO’s command and force structures, agencies, the International Secretariat at NATO Headquarters and the International Military Secretariat. More resources are allocated to NATO activities also at the national level. As a member country, Finland also contributes to NATO's collective budgets.
The member countries have full autonomy in deciding which military activities, bases or equipment they will host on their territory. For example, the question of a military presence must be assessed from a political perspective and in terms of military needs, taking into account the development of the security environment. This has significant resource impacts on both the countries sending troops and the countries hosting troops.
Member countries must develop their military interoperability and participate in all activities of the Alliance with reasonable inputs in view of their size and economic performance. All members, including Finland, share the risks, responsibilities and benefits associated with collective defence. Finland is expected to make a similar contribution as other NATO countries of similar size and economic comparability.
Frequently asked questions about Finland’s NATO membership
The most significant right and obligation under the North Atlantic Treaty, i.e. the Washington Convention, is collective defence under Article 5. It encapsulates the idea of NATO’s existence: an attack against one member country is an attack against all member countries. It also culminates in the most significant impact of Finland’s NATO membership: Finland is part of NATO’s collective defence and deterrence and covered by the security guarantees enshrined in Article 5.
Membership in NATO increases the preventive deterrence of Finland’s defence, as it is supported by the military power of the entire Alliance, ultimately by the United States’ nuclear weapons. However, if Finland became a target of military force, it would defend itself with the support of the Alliance based on collective defence arrangements, prepared and rehearsed in advance. NATO’s capability for collective defence is based on a common defence planning process, operational plans, integrated military command structure and joint exercises.
NATO has decided that Article 5 can also be introduced in the case of cyber or other hybrid attacks if the North Atlantic Council unanimously so decides.
Finland, like all other member countries, has an obligation to participate in the tasks of Article 5 and provide support to an ally or allies under attack. Article 5 obliges each member country to assist the targeted member country in the manner it deems necessary, including the use of force. This means that each member country determines in which form and to what extent this would be done.
Article 5 applies only to collective defence. In addition, crisis management and collaborative security are among NATO’s main tasks.
Participation in crisis management, promotion of stability and other NATO peacetime collective defence tasks outside Article 5 is voluntary.
As a member of NATO, Finland continues to participate in NATO’s crisis management activities on a case by case basis. As a partner country, Finland has participated in NATO’s crisis management operations in the Western Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq, and Finland currently participates in two NATO-led crisis management operations, the KFOR operation in Kosovo and the NMI operation in Iraq.
NATO’s capabilities consist of the national armed forces and capabilities of the member countries. According to Article 3 of the North Atlantic Treaty, each member country must maintain and develop capacities, both individually and collectively, to repel an attack.
As a member of NATO, Finland still needs a strong national defence capability, and it decides independently on the principles for implementing its defence. General conscription and a strong will to defend the country continue to be the cornerstones of national defence.
As a member country, Finland’s defence is integrated into the Alliance’s collective defence. NATO countries must develop their military interoperability and participate in all activities of the Alliance with reasonable inputs in view of their size and economic performance.
Membership in NATO gives Finland access to the planning and implementation of collective defence in accordance with Article 5 and it joins NATO’s operational plans and the required leadership structures and systems. Finland participates more extensively in NATO’s exercises, including Article 5 exercises. Cooperation in sharing and receiving air and maritime situational awareness deepens, and Finland is part of NATO’s common air and missile defence system.
Finland sends personnel to work in NATO’s command and force structure, agencies, the International Secretariat at NATO Headquarters and the International Military Secretariat. More resources will be allocated to NATO activities also at the national level.
NATO member countries have full autonomy over the military activities, bases or equipment they accept to take on their territory.
NATO membership means wide-ranging security and defence cooperation and common political commitment to the objectives of the Alliance. As a member country, Finland participates fully in the planning, preparation and decision-making of the Alliance and thus influences issues concerning its own security environment.
Each country decides on the amount and allocation of its defence appropriations. While Finland’s defence expenditure is proportionate to the needs of Finland’s defence, as NATO’s member country, Finland commits to the defence appropriations target, according to which defence appropriations should account for two per cent of a member country’s GDP. This target will be met in the coming years as Finland has decided on F-35 multi-role fighters and the Squadron 2020 project. Remaining at the two per cent level at the end of the 2020s requires new decisions and significant additional resources.
Direct additional costs of NATO membership include, for example, participation in the financing of NATO’s collective budgets and secondment of personnel to NATO’s military command and force structure. In addition, membership brings costs related to the national defence system, including the development of command and control systems and the need for more personnel. Participation in NATO's peacetime tasks such as air surveillance, operations and capability projects mean also increased costs.
It is also the responsibility of each member country to ensure that the necessary legislative basis is in place. The same requirement goes for security and information management and operating practices.
Finland’s membership in NATO increases stability in the Baltic Sea region and strengthens the security of the whole of Europe.
It supports the Alliance’s defence and simplifies its planning in the Baltic Sea and Nordic regions. Relative to its size, Finland has viable defence forces, which have been systematically developed over decades, high crisis resilience as a society and, by international standards, a very strong will to defend the country. Finland contributes significantly to NATO’s defence.
The training of conscripts is continuously developed as part of the development of the Defence Forces’ activities. The grounds for conscript training and women’s voluntary military service will not change as a result of NATO membership.
Even in the future, Finland will neither order conscripts nor reservists to dangerous missions abroad. Only paid personnel and voluntary reservists will be sent to NATO-related missions outside Finland.
Subject to their consent, conscripts in military service or those liable for military service in reservist training may be ordered to serve abroad for a short period of time. Explicit consent is not required if a conscript participates in routine naval service outside Finland's territorial waters.
The main task of the NATO defence planning process (NDPP) is to ensure that NATO as a whole has the necessary forces and capabilities to carry out its tasks. The process is implemented in consecutive four-year planning cycles.
Integration into NATO’s defence planning process has already begun during Finland’s observer membership. As part of the process, NATO prepares a capability target package for Finland and conducts a country-specific assessment. Finland reconciles its national defence planning with NATO’s defence planning process. The Ministry of Defence is responsible for the defence planning process.
Learn more about the NATO defence planning process on the NATO website.
Following Finland's accession to NATO, the matter will be assessed from the perspective of military needs. However, new NATO headquarters' or other structures are rarely established, and this would require a large consensus within NATO. This would also have significant resource implications for both the country hosting NATO's presence and the countries sending troops.
It is also important to note that the security environment is constantly changing and that certain flexibility should be maintained. Finland has not imposed any national restrictions on NATO activities, such as setting up bases in its territory.
As a NATO member, Finland will commit to NATO’s nuclear policy and nuclear deterrence. At the same time, Finland will continue to support the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that promotes international security and restricts the proliferation of nuclear weapons. Finland will also advocate for a stronger status for nuclear non-proliferation and the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The United States has deployed nuclear weapons to bases in Europe, and controls and monitors these weapons. The arrangement that is known as Nuclear Sharing complies with the provisions of the NPT.
The United States does not see the need to expand or increase the placement of nuclear weapons in Europe, nor does NATO discuss placing nuclear weapons in any new member country. The threshold for the transfer of nuclear weapons is very high and all nuclear security arrangements are extremely strict. Nuclear weapons are not used or transferred during NATO exercises.
