Finland's and Sweden's NATO Ambitions Could Reshape Their Defense Needs

摘要

Breaking from their decades-long stance on nonmilitary alignment to join NATO, Finland and Sweden are seeking the protection of NATO's collective defense umbrella amid growing concerns about Russian military machinations. Their historic decision and submission of applications on May 18 could lead to a radical reconsideration of Nordic defense postures, procurement policies and questions about how they will integrate into NATO's existing structures. "We have seen a fundamental shift-in European security with the invasion of Ukraine" James Hackett, a senior fellow for defense and military analysis at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, tells Aviation Week. "With Finland and Sweden joining NATO, we are now seeing a reshaping of Northern European security… and it is happening at pace," he says. "It is the last piece of the puzzle in terms of the defense cooperation that's been developing over the last 10-15 years in the region, post the integration of the Baltic states into NATO."