In response to growing geopolitical threats, NATO will deploy a new ground force unit to protect northern Finland. According to information published by Iltalehti , the Alliance is creating a ground forces unit known as FLF (Forward Land Forces), which will include an armored brigade.
A military contingent of four to five thousand soldiers will be deployed in the city of Mikkeli, located in Northern Finland. A sub-headquarters of the NATO ground forces will be created here, which will manage the operations and training of the brigade. It is planned that units from Sweden and Norway will be stationed at the base in Mikkeli.
Iltalehti notes , Finland and its defense forces have come to the conclusion that the presence of NATO troops on Finnish territory is necessary to increase the country's defense capabilities. Official information on plans for NATO military activities in Mikkeli will be released in the coming weeks, in early autumn.
In addition to the formation of an armored brigade, the storage of weapons directly in Finland will also be organized to support it. Preparations for the establishment of the headquarters began last spring, when Mikkeli visited the deputy commander of NATO's joint operations headquarters in Norfolk, British Rear Admiral Tim Henry.
The formation of such a powerful combat unit as an armored brigade should not only provide protection, but also have a preventive effect, demonstrating the readiness of the Alliance to repel potential threats. In addition, similar NATO units already exist in the Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
