Forward Land Forces Finland has been formally established

NATO's Forward Land Forces Finland (FLF Finland) are officially established on Saturday, 6 June 2026.

NATO's new Forward Land Forces Finland (FLF Finland) commenced operations on 6 June. The force forms part of the Alliance's deterrence and defence structure on the northern flank, and is built on close cooperation between Finland as the host nation and Sweden as the framework nation.

According to the Finnish Ministry of Defence, the core of FLF Finland consists of a Swedish battalion battle group of approximately 600 soldiers based in Boden (northern Sweden). The force is designed to be reinforced to brigade level and is commanded through a multinational headquarters element in Rovaniemi (northern Finland). Upon establishment, both the Swedish battle group and the command element in Rovaniemi were placed under the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), NATO's most senior military commander in Europe.

"The establishment of FLF Finland is an important step in strengthening Finland's and the entire Alliance's northern flank," said Finland's Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen in a press release from the Ministry of Defence.

According to the Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten), the establishment was marked by a ceremony in Boden (northern Sweden) on Sweden's National Day, attended by representatives from NATO, Finland, and Sweden.

"The northern flank places particular demands on the units that are to operate there. These include a subarctic climate, vast distances, limited infrastructure, and extensive off-road terrain," said Daniel Rydberg, commander of NATO's new multinational force in Boden, in a press release from the Swedish Armed Forces.

The Swedish Armed Forces state that FLF Finland initially consists of a trained battalion battle group, but that the force can grow through contributions from other Allied nations. In addition to Finland and Sweden, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland have announced their participation in the development of the force.

Sweden's Chief of Army Jonny Lindfors describes the establishment as the result of the longstanding Swedish-Finnish defence cooperation.

"Finland has NATO's longest land border with Russia, which makes the northeastern flank an area of great importance to the Alliance's overall deterrence and defence," said Lindfors in the Swedish Armed Forces press release.