Finland rejects Finlandization

[lordtiberius]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32843558

We did not report this story here.  Maybe it would be different if there was TnA in the story.  Apologies to the Kindergarten dater (but not a liar) who is acting ring-wrong cop.

[lordtiberius]

More that has followed:

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/policy-budget/warfare/2015/05/24/finland-new-government-nato-membership-russia-sweden-tension-ukraine-baltic/27710113/

Main takeways:

1.  Finland's new center-right coalition has included the option of applying for NATO membership "at any time" in its government formation Joint Policy Position statement.

2.  Prime Minister-elect Juha Sipilä's administration is set to draft a foreign and security policy that will include a special segment to calculate the potential monetary costs and implications of full Finnish membership in NATO.

3. . . .  robustly pro-NATO National Coalition Party (NCP). The Center and the NCP will be the key players dictating defense and security policy going forward.

4. . . .  the new government plans to amend legislation to permit military- and national security-run surveillance programs to collect signals intelligence outside Finnish borders and in communications passing through Finnish territory.

5. . . .  a particular focus on strengthening the military's procurement capability ahead of big ticket purchases, including the acquisition of a new fighter type and up to 64 aircraft to replace aging F/A-18 Hornets.
 . . .

6 . . . Entry costs for Finland, in terms of compatibility of training and equipment, may require a bigger defense budget at the beginning, said Sundström. "In reality, much of the Finnish defense forces' equipment and training is already of a NATO-standard," he said.

7 . . .  proposed incrementally increasing the defense budget by US $170 million annually. (peanuts)

8. . . . In April, Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister, outlined ambitions and plans to expand joint exercises and increase information-sharing between Swedish and Finnish armed forces and NATO, particularly in the high-tension area of the Baltic Sea.


Email: godwyer@defensenews.com

Proper context:


& North Pole ambitions . . . Canada, Norway?  NATO v. Russia?  WWIII?

Thoughts?

[Nightwish]

Sweden will never join Nato in any foreseen future.
It will just never happen, even if some politicians do want it and tries to make it so.