Sweden's new Army Chief, Major General Johan Pekkari, made his first official trip abroad to Finland on his second day in office. During the meeting with Finland's Army Chief Pasi Välimäki, topics discussed included joint operational planning, lessons learned from Ukraine, and NATO's Forward Land Forces in Finland.
According to a press release from the Finnish Army, the agenda included the development of the two armies, the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative (EFDI), Finland's NATO integration, and the implementation of Forward Land Forces Finland (FLF FIN). Pekkari was appointed as Sweden's new Army Chief in August.
The two army chiefs also discussed changes on the battlefield and lessons learned from Ukraine, including drones and counter-drone measures, as well as digitalisation and artificial intelligence.
"Visiting my Finnish counterpart on my second day as Army Chief shows how much importance I place on our close relations. Finland and Sweden are not only allies. We also have a deep and long-standing defence partnership, which includes joint operational planning," says Johan Pekkari in the press release.
Finland's Army Chief Pasi Välimäki, for his part, highlights joint exercise activity across the Nordic region.
"We agreed that through systematic exercise activity in the Nordic region, we are building up a threshold to prevent conflicts and a capability to repel attacks, which strengthens NATO's deterrence and defence," says Pasi Välimäki.