Finland has become the 31st member of the Nato security alliance, doubling the length
of member states' borders with Russia.
US President Joe Biden welcomed Finland officially joining the NATO alliance as its newest member.
Biden in a statement said, “Today, I am proud to welcome Finland as NATO’s 31st
Ally”
The president said: “Seventy-four years ago today—as the United
States and 11 other nations came together to form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization—President
Truman said, ‘if there is anything inevitable in the future, it is the will of the people
of the world for freedom and for peace.’
Today, that will is stronger than ever with the addition of Finland to NATO.”
In this video Defense Updates analyzes why Finland joining NATO is the biggest fallout
of the Ukraine invasion for Russia?
Let's get started.
This is NATO's ninth enlargement since its founding in 1949.
It will fundamentally transform European security, adding 830 miles or 1335 km of border with
Russia along the Finnish frontier.
Helsinki now has the protection of NATO’s Article Five, which says an attack on one
member is an attack on all.
In effect, it means if Finland were invaded or attacked, all Nato members - including
the US - would come to its aid.
With Finland joining, NATO will be at Russia's doorstep.
The move ended decades of military non-alliance by the country.
Before the war in Ukraine, the likelihood of Finland joining NATO was extremely low
- the population did not support the idea.
Viewers may note that Finland remained neutral during the Cold War and after joining the
European Union in 1995.
Russia's invasion prompted a surge in Finnish public opinion towards joining NATO to 80%
in favor.
The lawmakers decision to join NATO was also overwhelming - Finnish MPs voted 184 in favor
of accepting the NATO treaties, with seven against and one abstaining.
Finland has already taken some steps that clearly define the mood.
At a cost of approximately €380m (£338m), Finland intends to construct 200km or 125
miles of fencing along its border with Russia.
The fencing will be 3 meters (10ft) tall and topped with barbed wire, while especially
sensitive regions will feature night vision cameras, lights, and loudspeakers.
According to the border guard of Finland, the pilot fence spanning 3km or 1.85 miles
along the southeastern border crossing in Imatra is set to be finished by June's end.
Additionally, approximately 70km or 43 miles of fencing is planned to be constructed mainly
in southeastern Finland before 2025.
Finland is situated in a crucial position.
The strategic location of Finland also offers NATO influence over the waters which Russia
uses to ferry vessels from its Baltic fleet between St. Petersburg and the Russian enclave
of Kaliningrad.
Now all Baltic Fleet and Northern Fleet bases of Russia are well within NATO missile range.
Finland would also give the alliance an advantage in Arctic water.
Viewers may note that as the ice caps melt in the Arctic, it will become economically
viable to navigate and Russia is gearing up to monetize the potentially lucrative Northern
Sea Route (NSR).
Finland is one of the most combat-ready armies in Europe.
Minna Alander, a researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Relations (quoted
by AFP) said, “The country still remembers the events of 1939-1940 when the Soviet Union
attacked Finland and eventually seized a part of its territory.
That is why they never stopped preparing for a possible war,"
Unlike the vast majority of other Western countries, Finland's military conscription
remains high and defense spending has remained quite high even after the collapse of the
Soviet Union (2.2% of GDP in 2021).
Finland has a defense budget of $6.3 billion and has been aligning its military to meet
NATO standards for some time.
The Finnish Defense Forces employ a relatively modest 12,000 active troops from a population
of 5.5 million.
However, it has an estimated 280,000 reservists capable of fighting in wartime.
In an emergency situation, a total of 900,000 Finnish reservists can be mobilized.
From Leopard 2 Main BattleTank to having one of the strongest artilleries systems in Europe
with 1000 pieces and possessing several kinds of air defense systems which include NASAMS
II, Finland’s ground forces are pretty formidable.
Add to this, lethal aerial platforms it has that include 55 F/A-18C Hornets.
The country has an inventory of more than 600 AIM-9 Sidewinder and more than 700 AIM-120
AMRAAM for air-to-air roles.
It also has a decent number of AGM-158A JASSM and AGM-154C JSOW air-to-surface missiles
and different types of General-purpose bombs like GBU-31,32,38.
Importantly, it will begin phasing in the F-35A from 2027 onwards.
In terms of its advantages at sea, Finland's navy consists of a small but potent force
including a fleet of fast missile attack craft and minehunting and minelaying vessels.
These are well suited to its long, island-dotted coastline, which lies just hours away from
St. Petersburg.
Fast attack craft includes 4 Hamina-class crafts and 4 Rauma-class crafts.
It also has several offensive weapons that include infantry-carried Spike-ER coastal
missiles, MTO-85M anti-ship missiles, that are truck-mounted, and Coastal artillery,
both fixed and mobile.
Finland's accession is surely a setback for Russia's Vladimir Putin.
He had repeatedly complained about NATO’s expansion before his full-scale invasion of
Ukraine and this is exactly what has happened.
Putin invaded Ukraine with one of the stated aim being to move NATO further away from Russia
but ended up with Finland joining it & doubling its border with the alliance.
Putin previously downplayed the significance of Finland becoming part of the alliance.
He said at that time that Finland joining NATO didn't pose an "immediate threat" to
Russia.
But is now sinking in.
Now that the deal is completed, the Kremlin is altering its tone and cautioning Finland
that Russia will need to take unspecified measures in response.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters at a press briefing, per the Moscow Times,
"Naturally, this forces us to take countermeasures to ensure our own tactical and strategic security,"