Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen: Italy will participate in NATO's Forward Land Forces in Finland

Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen: Italy will participate in NATO's Forward Land Forces in Finland

Italy will participate in NATO's Forward Land Forces (FLF) in Finland. Finland's Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen and Italy's Minister of Defence Guido Crosetto discussed the matter on Wednesday 22 October 2025.

"Italy is one of Europe's leading countries, and it has a prominent role in NATO. Italy has already taken part in the planning of FLF Finland, and we have been discussing the matter closely. Now, my colleague Guido Crosetto has confirmed that Italy will participate in the FLF. This is an important step in the development of FLF Finland," Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen said.

Sweden as the framework nation and the United Kingdom and France and the Nordic countries Denmark, Norway and Iceland have previously announced their participation in NATO's Forward Land Forces in Finland.

"I am delighted that Italy will be joining the already strong group of Allies participating in NATO's Forward Land Forces in Finland. This is a strong message of a united Europe that shoulders its responsibility in NATO and, in this case especially, in the northern part of the Alliance," Minister Häkkänen said.

The Forward Land Forces form a part of NATO's peacetime activities. Under normal conditions, multinational forces train and exercise together with national home defence forces. The FLF are part of NATO's operations planning, and should the security situation change, the FLF presence could be scaled up to brigade size. In peacetime, Allies also exercise their ability to rapidly reinforce the forces.

FLF Finland will commence exercises in 2025.

Statement regarding Italy's participation in NATO's Forward Land Forces in Finland

Inquiries: Samuli Puhakka, Senior Specialist, Ministry of Defence, tel. +358 295 140 089. Requests for interviews with Minister Häkkänen: Dani Niskanen, Special Adviser, tel. +358 415 444 967.