Bilateral and multilateral defence policy and cooperation

Updated December 2025

In defence cooperation, emphasis will be placed on those countries that are significant actors in Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea region from the perspective of Finland’s defence and NATO’s deterrence and defence, or whose role is particularly important in areas such as defence materiel cooperation.

  • Bilateral and multilateral defence cooperation is an important part of Finland’s defence capability.
  • Defence cooperation between Finland and Sweden
  • The implementation of the DCA agreement with the United States will be emphasised in the next few years.
  • Nordic defence cooperation
  • Finland promotes cooperation between NATO and the EU to strengthen transatlantic burden-sharing.
  • Euro-Atlantic security and stability are in the common interest of NATO and the EU.
  • It is important for Finland that the EU plays a key role in European security and defence cooperation and in Europe’s comprehensive security.

The instructors of the Finnish Defence Forces’ Jaeger Brigade organise various courses for the military personnel of different NATO countries. This time, participants from France, Britain, the United States and Finland participated in the Winter Course. Image source: NATO media bank.

Defence cooperation between Finland and Sweden:

  • strengthening the defence capabilities and operational readiness of both countries,
  • joint operational planning,
  • promoting common interests, in particular in the Baltic Sea region and in the north,
  • preventing conflicts and raising the threshold for attacks through joint action,
  • intensifying cooperation in exercise activities and the production of situational awareness,
  • with both countries’ NATO membership, the forms of cooperation will expand.

The first exercise of the Uusimaa Brigade and the Swedish Navy’s Amphibious Regiment was carried out already in 2001. Naval cooperation is based on the situational awareness cooperation Sea Surveillance Co-Operation Finland-Sweden (SUCFIS). Naval cooperation takes place mainly within the framework of FISE Naval. The surface combat and coastal jaeger units train annually in naval exercises.

Defence cooperation between Finland and Sweden is part of broader Nordic defence cooperation, which has expanded and deepened over the years.

The arrangements for bilateral cooperation between Finland and the United States have been agreed upon in the Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA). It complements Finland’s NATO membership. The United States has signed DCAs with several other NATO countries.

The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) is a British-led defence cooperation group consisting of 10 countries (Britain, the Netherlands, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Sweden). Finland joined in 2017, at the same time as Sweden.

Nordic-Baltic co-operation (NB8) has been carried out since the 1990s. The NB8 Group discusses topical foreign and security policy issues from both a global and a European perspective. The NB8 cooperation complements EU integration and the N5 cooperation between the Nordic countries.

The Ministry of Defence:
https://www.defmin.fi/en/areas_of_expertise/international_defence_cooperation/defence_cooperation_between_finland_and_sweden#824ca4b4

https://www.defmin.fi/en/areas_of_expertise/international_defence_cooperation#824ca4b4

https://www.defmin.fi/en/areas_of_expertise/defence_materiel_and_the_defence_industry#824ca4b4

The Defence Forces:
https://puolustusvoimat.fi/en/international-exercises

https://puolustusvoimat.fi/en/international-activities/nordic-defence-cooperation

Government’s Defence Report (2024):
http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-383-852-9

The Swedish Armed Forces:
https://www.forsvarsmakten.se/sv/om-forsvarsmakten/vart-arbetssatt/internationellt-samarbete/forsvarssamarbete-med-finland/