Finland faces Russian aggression – must store material in Norway

Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) confirms that Norway has allowed the storage of Finnish military equipment on Norwegian territory.

– 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.

This is what the Minister of Defense writes in an email to ABC Nyheter.

Unparalleled preparedness

– Norway is strengthening defense cooperation with our Nordic allies. An important part of this is finding ways to support each other in times of peace, crisis and war, says Gram.

Finland has tested its ability to run a war economy and has begun to store military equipment outside the country’s borders in the face of an increasingly aggressive Russia, Lieutenant General Mikko Heiskanen, deputy commander for defense materiel and logistics in the Finnish defense, tells the Financial Times.

– We must be prepared for a prolonged crisis. We have checked all the agreements, we have tested the purchases, not only of ammunition, but also of other material. We test our strategic partners’ plans and preparedness, says Heiskanen, whose job title in Finnish can be translated as head of the war economy.

Finland has the longest border with Russia of any NATO and EU country, has been prepared for attacks from its neighbor to the east for decades, leading to a level of preparedness that is perhaps unparalleled in the Western world.

Refuge for all

The country has stocks that cover at least six months’ consumption of important fuel and grains, and it has enough shelter for the entire population. Almost a third of the adult population are reservists, giving the country of just 5.6 million inhabitants one of the largest military forces in Europe and the largest amount of artillery.

– It is in our DNA. Russia respects power. Power consists of both will and capacity. The will is in place. The will of the people to defend the country is probably the highest in the world. The capacity – the material – is at a credible level. It takes many years to build up this capacity. It cannot be done in a year or two, says Heiskanen to the FT.