Defence Ministers of Finland, Sweden and Norway at Cold Response 26: Implementation of FLF Finland progressing rapidly

Defence Ministers of Finland, Sweden and Norway at Cold Response 26: Implementation of FLF Finland progressing rapidly

Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen hosted the countries participating in FLF Finland at the Cold Response 26 exercise at Rovajärvi on 16 March 2026.

"This is the most important Arctic exercise of the spring. Over 30,000 professional soldiers and reservists from 14 countries are training joint NATO operations in Norwegian and Finnish territory. Important components of the exercise include strengthening NATO's High North, training joint operations in challenging conditions, and testing logistics and the capability to receive allied forces," said Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen.

"The exercise also involves moving troops from Sweden to Finland, which is a key part of FLF Finland's operational concept. The FLF approach will strengthen the security of Finland and the entire northern flank of the Alliance," said Minister Häkkänen.

Finland's Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen, Sweden's Minister of Defence Pål Jonson and Norway's Minister of Defence Tore O. Sandvik issued a declaration at Cold Response 26 in which they noted that rapid progress has been made in implementing FLF Finland. According to the declaration, the objective is to establish FLF Finland before the NATO summit in Ankara in July 2026.

"In practice, this means both the battle group offered by Sweden and the Multinational Staff Element to be established in Finland," Minister Häkkänen said.

"FLF Finland is a concrete sign of NATO's increasing deterrence and defence in Finland. Similarly, Cold Response 26 displays our strong capabilities and our Allies' commitment to developing FLF Finland," Minister Antti Häkkänen said.

Sweden is the framework nation for FLF Finland, which is a multinational NATO land force. Norway is the lead nation in Cold Response 26 and is one of the countries participating in the development of FLF Finland. The United Kingdom, France, Italy and Iceland have also announced their participation in the development of FLF Finland and are participating in Cold Response 26. Cold Response 26 is part of NATO's Arctic Sentry operation, which shows the Alliance's readiness to operate in the Arctic.

Declaration by the Ministers of Defence of Norway, Finland and Sweden

Inquiries: Samuli Puhakka, Senior Specialist, Ministry of Defence, tel. +358295140089.

Requests for interviews with Minister Häkkänen: Dani Niskanen, Special Adviser, tel. +358415444967.