NATO is to base a battalion-size multinational force in Sodankylä and Rovaniemi in the north of Finland, Finnish Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen confirmed to Finnish national broadcasting company Yle this week. The news is one of the outcomes of the meeting of the NATO countries’ defence ministers in Brussels on 13 February.
Details of the exact size and constellation of the NATO Forward Land Forces in Finland are not given, and are believed to be still in discussion. Geographically speaking, it is likely that neighbours Norway and Finland contribute. Finland already had bilateral talks with Norway about forward deploying some of its troops to Finland.
Finnish military in Rovaniemi
Apart from Santa Claus, Rovaniemi is home to the Lapland Air Wing (Lapin Lennosto) of the Finnish Air Force (Ilmavoimat). Apart from a few liaison aircraft, it operates F/A-18C and D combat jets from the joined military/civilian airport which can accommodate larger aircraft as well. This would make reinforcing NATO troops in times of conflict relatively easy, as long as the airport and the aerospace above are controlled by NATO. The harbours of Kemi and Tornio could in theory be used to move heavy equipment by sea into the country. Both ports are located about 120 kilometres (75 miles) by road from Rovaniemi.
Finnish military in Sodankylä
Sodankylä and Rovaniemi are home to the Finnish Army’s Jaeger Brigade, a unit of 400 regular personnel responsible for training 2,200 conscripts annually in harsh cold-weather conditions. The main force, the Lapland Jaeger Battalion, is based in Sodankylä – Rovaniemi hosts an air defence unit of the brigade. With 8,100 iinhabitants the small town of Sodankylä even has its own airport with a hardened runway of 4,850 feet (1.5 km) long. Although on the short side for Boeing 737s, it is enough for many military transport aircraft like the C-130J Hercules and the C-17 Globemaster IIIs. However, the airport parking and handling options are very limited, so expansion for regular military traffic would be needed. Many of other NATO countries’ forces already know Sodankylä, as the Jaeger Brigade has been training winter tactics to them. It is likely that a battalion-size multinational NATO brigade will require additional housing, but the brigade shooting ranges are quite likely shared.
About NATO Forward Land Forces
NATO’s Forward Land Forces are meant to deter Russia from attacking Western Europe. The multinational battle groups range in size, but about 1,000 troops (battalion-size) is seen as the minimum. They are already operational in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. The first four since 2017, the latter since 2022. Since then the ones in Latvia, Lithuania and Romania have been sized up to brigade level (about 4,000 to 5,000 troops), while NATO’s presence in Poland is equal to a division (10,000 to 12,000 troops). (more info on Nato.int)
From what year NATO Land Forces are expected to start building up their presence in the north of Finland has not been disclosed. | © 2025 Marcel Burger, nordicreporter.com. Featured photo: Danish Army soldiers, part of NATO’s multinational brigade in Latvia, during exercise Resolute Warrior there (Press photo: NATO)