NATO's Forward Land Forces Finland stood up

Ceremony held in Boden, Sweden, on 6 June to stand up NATO's FLF Finland. (Swedish Armed Forces/Mats Carlsson)

NATO's Forward Land Forces (FLF) Finland, including the alliance's newest multinational battlegroup, was stood up during a ceremony at the Swedish Army's Norrbotten Regiment's base in Boden, Sweden, on 6 June 2026.

Led by framework nation Sweden, FLF Finland is composed of a Swedish battlegroup based in Boden and a multinational staff element in Rovaniemi, Finland, under the command of NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).

In future, FLF Finland will be brigade-sized, with regular exercises to scale it up from a battalion-sized battlegroup. The Swedish Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a press release on the eve of the standing up ceremony that Sweden would contribute around 600 personnel to FLF Finland in 2026, with the option to expand to 1,200 personnel if required. Also on 5 June, Finnish Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen said in a Finnish MoD press release, “Like NATO's other Forward Land Forces, FLF Finland, too, has been designed for operations in specific geographical environments and for response to specific threats. In practice, FLF Finland will strengthen NATO's deterrence and defence in the High North by providing SACEUR with forces specialised on Arctic conditions, reinforcing the security of Finland and our neighbouring regions. At the same time, we will provide our allies with an opportunity to exercise land warfare in Arctic conditions.”