Sentry Staff
Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has spurred five Nordic nations to increase defense and collaboration to counter security threats, strengthening their own borders and the larger NATO Alliance. Building on initiatives launched years ago, the countries — Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden — are working to enhance capabilities, leaning into their individual and collective strengths.
The Nordic Defence Cooperation (NORDEFCO), a security agreement among the five nations, was formed in 2009 to strengthen the region’s national defense. Defense ministers from the member countries in April 2024 signed Vision 2030, an agreement that details eight areas in which NORDEFCO members will strengthen the region and support NATO’s mission. Among Vision 2030’s tenets:
- Strategic dialogue and consultations on current issues and the security situation, including situational awareness and escalation management
- Ability to conduct and command combined joint operations through common operations planning
- Host nation and logistical support for common operations and facilitate Allied military support and reinforcement
- Military mobility to, between and through Nordic countries
- Capabilities based on strategic and operational requirements in alignment with NATO and European Union (EU) processes, opportunities, tools and initiatives
- Defense materiel cooperation for increased interchangeability
- Security and strengthening of supply chains and the Nordic defense industrial base
- Total defense to secure adequate support from all sectors of society to the defense sector in all threat scenarios and situations.
“Vision 2030 marks a new era for the development of Nordic Defence Cooperation reflecting the new strategic reality with war in Europe and the accessions of Finland and Sweden to NATO,” according to a statement on NORDEFCO’s website. The strategy “will enhance NATO’s posture in Northern Europe and contribute to the security of the Alliance as a whole.”
At the July 2024 NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 24 Allies, including NORDEFCO countries, signed a series of multinational initiatives aimed at enhancing security. Seventeen Allied nations signed a memorandum of understanding to contribute more than $1 billion through the Alliance Persistent Surveillance from Space program to acquire space assets from the commercial and government sectors, aimed at improving NATO’s monitoring capabilities from space.
Twenty-two nations signed a letter of intent to develop unified communications and data sharing capabilities across all domains, under NATO’s new Allied software for Cloud and Edge service. The five Nordic nations signed a Declaration of Cooperation on Cross-Border Airspace to ensure Allied civil and military authorities can establish and use those nations’ airspace as needed for training, exercises and other activities aimed at enhancing the region’s security.
As the Nordic countries work to strengthen NATO’s northern flank, Sweden is working to become a key player in NATO’s space efforts. The Swedish Air Force signed a Space Situational Awareness sharing agreement with U.S. Space Command in 2022, and in early 2024, the country participated in the Global Sentinel space exercise. Sweden adopted its first-ever defense and security space strategy in July 2024.
“We might be the new kids on the block in NATO, but we have been doing space research for several decades in Sweden,” Col. Ella Carlsson, Sweden’s space chief, told Defense News. “We’ve asked, ‘What void can we fill in the alliance in the space domain?’”