NATO intends to establish a headquarters for ground forces in Finland, which will strengthen the command operations of Allied forces, announced Norwegian Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram as reported by Iltalehti.
According to his statement, the establishment of a new NATO ground forces command center will allow "to benefit from the membership of all Scandinavian countries" in the Alliance.
"I assume that we will act under common leadership and will be part of a unified regional defense plan. Thus, the Scandinavian countries will have joint deterrence and defense," Gram emphasized.
According to the publication, the headquarters will be located in the city of Mikkeli in southern Finland, which is approximately 100 km from the Russian border.
It is noted that the new command center will be subordinate to the command of the joint forces in Norfolk, USA. It is known that Mikkeli will host no fewer than 375 officers from NATO member countries.
Honor guard at the Headquarters Statue in Mikkeli on Independence Day, December 6, 2018
