Häkkänen calls for Finnish and Swedish forces to fight together

Finland and Sweden aim to deepen their defence cooperation so that their land, naval and air forces can operate together, Finnish Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen said in an interview with Yle’s A-studio.

“Our goal is for the Finnish and Swedish land, naval and air forces to be able to fight fully and smoothly together,” Häkkänen said.

For the two countries’ land forces, this would involve cooperation between NATO’s forward-deployed ground forces and their heavy rocket launcher systems in the northern region, he said.

The Finnish and Swedish defence ministers signed a letter of intent on rocket launcher cooperation on Monday. Under the agreement, Sweden will buy the US-made HIMARS rocket launcher system. Sweden has not previously had similar weapons systems.

Häkkänen said the cooperation would increase firepower and resilience in the north and create a deterrent effect for potential aggressors.

Finland and Sweden are also pursuing broader defence industry cooperation. Sweden has acquired ICEYE satellites, Patria armoured vehicles and Sako small arms from Finland, among other products.

“Our goal in the defence industry is to have at least a joint Nordic or Finnish-Swedish defence industry that would provide security of supply and broad technological expertise,” Häkkänen said. He added that this would help Finnish companies reach global and export markets.

Häkkänen said Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson shared his view of the importance of the objective.

The Finnish Defence Ministry said at the end of August that Sweden would send JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets and a Visby-class corvette to Finland to help monitor the country’s border areas. The move follows Ukrainian drones that strayed into Finland.

Häkkänen said the cooperation was intended to strengthen Finland’s ability to detect and counter drones.

An analysis by Helsingin Sanomat suggested that Finland also needed Swedish assistance because the Finnish Defence Forces are simultaneously working to introduce F-35 fighter jets and new Pohjanmaa-class corvettes, projects worth billions of euros.

The fighter jets are expected to reach full operational readiness by the end of 2030. The corvettes are scheduled to enter service between 2027 and 2029.

Häkkänen acknowledged that Ukraine’s nearly seven months of almost nightly drone attacks on Russia had placed a strain on Finnish Defence Forces personnel.

Swedish assistance with Finland’s territorial surveillance will ease the situation for Finnish defence personnel, he said. He added that it was also a natural step towards the countries working together during peacetime and in all types of disruptions.

The Swedish Gripen fighters and Visby-class corvette are preliminarily scheduled to support Finland’s territorial surveillance until the end of the year.