Finland allows the US to use 15 of its military bases

On July 1, the Finnish Parliament unanimously approved the Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with the United States.

The publication Yle reported on this.

Through the agreement, Finland will open 15 of its military facilities for use by the U.S. military.

It also allows for deployment of U.S. military personnel, weapons, ammunition, and military equipment in Finland.

In addition, the agreement covers the establishment of certain military zones, which will include facilities that will be accessible only to U.S. personnel.

The Defense Cooperation Agreement was signed in December last year but needed parliamentary approval. MP Anna Kontula (Union of Left Forces) advocated rejecting the agreement, but her proposal did not gain support.

The Constitutional Committee has calculated that the agreement must be approved by two-thirds of the MPs. The committee believes that the agreement does not contradict the country’s constitution.

The document on defense cooperation creates a basis for the permanent presence of the U.S. military in Finland. Thus, the country hopes that cooperation with the United States will improve security.

The United States has similar agreements with more than 20 countries.

As previously reported, Finland officially became the 31st member of NATO on April 4, 2023. The Finnish government noted that this decision was made for security reasons, as the country has a relatively long border with Russia – over 1,300 kilometers.

This June, the Finnish Border Guard selected Bombardier Challenger 650 multirole aircraft to patrol the state border and conduct reconnaissance in the areas bordering Russia. The aircraft was selected as part of the MVX program to replace the fleet of Dornier 228 aircraft that have been used for patrolling Finland’s border for a long time.

The contract to supply these aircraft was signed in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. According to the plan, the aircraft are expected to be put into service in 2026 and 2027.