Storing military equipment in Norway should be part of Finland’s war preparedness, according to Finnish Lieutenant General Mikko Heiskanen.
– We plan to store equipment in countries outside Finland. In order to improve our security, we want to spread our warehouses, and we have partially started with this already. We want to store especially in Norway and Sweden, but also in countries further afield, he says to the British newspaper Financial Times.
Tested pre-save
Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) confirms to VG that the Nordic countries are working on different ways to support each other in peacetime, but also in crisis and war.
– In connection with exercise “Nordic Response 2024”, we tested a concept where the Finnish defense had pre-stored some equipment in Norway that was used by Finland during the exercise, writes Gram in an email.
He adds that the Ministry of Defense believes that the test was successful.
New NATO member
Finland became a member of NATO in April 2023, and Sweden formally joined the alliance in March 2024.
Storing military equipment outside its own borders is one of several measures when the Finnish defense forces prepare for a possible military conflict with Russia.
Lieutenant General Heiskanen, who is assistant chief of staff in the Finnish defense and responsible for defense planning, tells the Finnish broadcaster Yle that the first test batch was stored in Norway in autumn 2023.
The Minister of Defense informs VG that the storage ahead of the winter exercise was a pilot project “which we will consider developing further”.
1340 km Russian border
The establishment of advance stockpiles in neighboring countries became relevant when Finland joined NATO:
– During the time as a non-aligned country, such stores were not planned or prepared. But when the entire alliance is to be defended together, this has given us the opportunity to utilize logistical and strategic depth, says Heiskanen.
Finland and Russia have a 1,340 kilometer common border. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the Finnish politicians quickly decided to apply for membership in NATO. With Finnish membership, NATO’s outer border with Finland has doubled in length.
Wise with spread
– I am not aware that Finland wants to store equipment in Norway. But all logic dictates that it is wise to spread. Finland is particularly exposed to Russia with its long border, says Karsten Friis in Nupi’s research group for security and defence, to VG.
He points out that Finland has a concept of dispersing its combat aircraft on prepared stretches of road across the country.
– With long-range missiles that can take out military equipment, it is wise to spread your military resources. At the same time, it is a political ambition for the Nordic countries to become as militarily integrated as possible, says Friis.
