Director of Operations and Planning of NATO’s International Military Staff visited Finland

Director of Operations and Planning of NATO's International Military Staff, IMS, Major General Mark Pullan visited Finland from 21 to 22 September 2026. The visit was hosted by Deputy Chief of Staff Operations, Lieutenant General Kari Nisula.

The visit started with a review of Finland's operating environment and the security situation in the neighbouring regions. The discussions covered current operational topics. One central topic was hybrid influencing and measures to get prepared for it. Protecting underwater infrastructure and identifying and tracking the shadow fleet were among the topics examined, among other things.

Lieutenant General Kari Nisula emphasised the importance of joint planning and preparation:

- Preparing for hybrid influencing requires the member countries to share a unified situation picture and an ability to respond quickly. NATO's defence and deterrence constitutes a common framework for the Alliance to get ready to respond to diverse threats from any direction and with all available means.

The programme of the visit included a meeting with the Chief of the Finnish Defence Command, Lieutenant General Vesa Virtanen. What is more, Major General Pullan became acquainted with the operation of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats.

_{NATO's International Military Staff employs approximately 500 people. Among other things, it provides military advice to NATO's Military Committee, MC, which is the highest military decision-making authority in NATO.}