The governments of the Nordic and Baltic states have approved a new plan to deepen both defense cooperation and readiness between the militaries of the seven NATO and non-aligned nations.

The intensified collaboration is happening against the backdrop of escalating regional tensions over Russia's aggressive military actions in Ukraine.

Moreover, Nordic political leaders fear that a proposal by Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko to hold a referendum on the country joining NATO could antagonize the Kremlin and further inflame the crisis in Ukraine and the region generally.

The scope for military cooperation, including shared tasks and procurement, was discussed when defense ministers from the Nordic and Baltic states met in Oslo for two days of talks on Nov. 12.

Under the broadened collaboration platform, projects being run by Nordic Defense Cooperation (NORDEFCO), the primary pan-Nordic defense cooperation vehicle, would be opened to the three Baltic-NATO states.

"This is a massive leap ahead in the enhancement of regional cooperation. The ability to join concrete NORDEFCO projects will allow us to cut costs and generate new capacity building capabilities more efficiently," said Vaidotas Urbelis, a policy director at Lithuania's Defense Ministry.

Nordic and Baltic states must establish a more unified approach to security and defense cooperation to protect their individual and shared and sovereign interests, said Margot Wallström, Sweden's foreign minister.

The Swedish population, Wallström said, is now "seriously frightened by Russia" and what the Kremlin is doing to destabilize Ukraine and the region.

"For the first time, the Swedish nation is frightened of Russia and what Russia is doing," Wallström said in a statement. "We are a peaceful nation, but no one should be in any doubt that we demand respect. We are ready to act to protect our non-alignment and our borders. If we are fearful, it's nothing compared to how the Baltics feel. There have been a series of provocations against the Baltic countries. This disturbs us very much."

The increased threat posed by Russia, including territorial airspace violations and the suspected presence of a Russian submarine off the Stockholm coast in October, has resulted in a reappraisal of military funding and the defense capabilities of all Nordic and Baltic states.

In the case of Sweden, the defense budget is set to increase by 3 percent to US $6.7 billion in 2015. The government has hinted that it may further strengthen the budget next spring should the conflict in Ukraine intensify.

Strengthened Nordic cooperation with its Baltic neighbors represents a substantial and decisive development, said Finland's president, Sauli Niinistö, who is also the commander-in-chief of Finnish Armed Forces.

According to Niinistö, relations between Russia and Western nations are now more "strained" than at any time since the end of the Cold War. "This is especially the case in the Baltic Sea region," he told reporters.

Finland's response, Niinistö said, should be to examine how its defense is structured and financed. While Finland's overall defense capability "is credible and strong," the hope is that the Finnish government's need to reduce public spending will not become the military's "Achilles heel," the president said.

With some political leaders and parties in Sweden and Finland raising the possibility of joining NATO, Niinistö said that in the case of Finland, such a course of action is more an "option" than a certainty at this juncture.

Were Finland to joint NATO, Niinistö said, it would not be viewed by Russia in the same manner as neighboring Norway, but would be regarded by the Kremlin in the same context as the former members of the Eastern European bloc, such as Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, which are members of the Western alliance.

NATO's commitment to reinforced collective defense in Europe, and also in the High North and Baltic Sea area, provides a fundamental tool to enhance defense and security in the region, Ine Eriksen Søreide, Norway's defense minister, stated at the Military Power Seminar 2014 in Oslo on Nov. 20.

In the past year, Søreide said, Russia's increased military presence in the High North has resulted in upgrades to "strategic components" of the Northern Fleet, the acquisition and allocation of new fighter aircraft as well as tactical helicopters and air defense systems to the region.

"Putin has declared that the High North is of great importance to him, and this has been matched by more Russian military activity. Russian airplanes are flying more frequently and further down the Norwegian coast compared to a few years ago. This can be illustrated by the number of scrambles conducted by Norwegian F-16s," Søreide said.

In 2005, the Norwegian Air Force (NAF) recorded 16 scrambles, identifying 23 Russian military aircraft. During the first 11 months of 2014, NAF F-16s have scrambled 41 times identifying 67 Russian planes, Søreide said.

Søreide warned that any military aggression by a "self-assertive" Russia against the NATO-aligned Baltic states will lead to an allied response. NATO's decision to provide air, sea and land forces to the Baltic region is a "strong message" about the alliance's solidarity and collective will to take action, Søreide said.

"Subtle forms of conducting warfare — like hybrid warfare — do not undermine the value of Article 5. The principle of collective defense is as valid today as when NATO was formed in 1949. Another key message is that NATO is ready to improve its readiness and responsiveness, and the formation of NATO Readiness Action Plan is an important measure," Søreide said.

The underlying value of collective defense between NATO countries in the region can be bolstered by a strengthened Nordic-Baltic defense cooperation, said Peter Hultqvist, Sweden's defense minister.

"The Baltic Sea area is becoming a pivotal part of the evolving security situation in the region. We are seeing more exercises and more intelligence gathering activities. Through collaboration, we are able to better protect the sovereign interests of partner nations," Hultqvist said.

On a bilateral basis, Sweden and Finland are examining a new proposal under which both countries would share intelligence and support joint area surveillance operations. Sweden and Finland are also considering the legal implications for their militarily non-aligned constitutions of both offering and receiving assistance to/from NATO-member countries.

Moreover, Sweden's Chief of Defense Gen. Sverker Göranson has raised the prospect of placing the Swedish and Finnish navies under a joint operational management structure as a feasible objective of Swedish-Finnish bilateral defense cooperation within the next 10 years.

"Such a development would provide the basis for mutual support in situations where there may be infringements of our territories," Göranson said. ■

Email: godwyer@defensenews.com.

Share:
More In Europe