According to the Ministry of Defence, the goal of international defence policy networking is to secure defence capability with parties that are ready to jointly develop and use their capabilities. This will enable international political support to be obtained and will provide the military compatibility needed in order to provide and receive aid. It will develop the cost-efficiency and security of supply of materiel procurement and will enable industrial cooperation, as well as research and technology cooperation.

The aim is to avoid duplication of work and to achieve synergies. In this way, technological and economic benefits can be achieved. Defence cooperation also includes international training and exercise cooperation.

International materiel cooperation is based on agreements between states. Such cooperation takes place in the fields of research, development, production, maintenance, quality assurance and procurement, as well as in joint procurement and maintenance. The aim is to safeguard the military security of supply in emergency conditions.

The President and the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy specify Finland’s participation in international training and exercise cooperation. Parliament must be informed.

Over the years, defence co-operation between the Nordic countries has broadened and deepened.

Finland has many years of experience in bilateral defence cooperation with Sweden, and agreements have been made on the practical arrangements, such as the activities to be undertaken by soldiers in the territory of the other party.

Finland has agreed on bilateral cooperation arrangements with the United States in the DCA agreement (Defence Cooperation Agreement). This complements Finland’s NATO membership. The United States has concluded DCA agreements with several NATO countries.

The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) is a multilateral defence cooperation framework led by the United Kingdom, consisting of ten countries: the Netherlands, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Estonia. Finland joined the JEF in the summer of 2017, along with Sweden.