The headquarters of the NATO advanced ground forces will be opened in Finland.

The headquarters of the NATO Advanced Ground Forces (FLF Finland) will officially begin work in the Finnish city of Rovaniemi on June 6, 2026. This was announced on June 5 by the Ministry of Defense of the country.

"The core of FLF Finland will be a Swedish battalion combat group of about 600 soldiers, capable of quickly transferring from the base in Boden to Finland. It will operate under the control of a Multinational headquarters Element in Rovaniemi," the ministry said in a statement on its website.

The headquarters and the subordinate Swedish battalion combat group, stationed at the military base in Boden in northern Sweden, will report to the Commander-in-Chief of the NATO Joint Forces in Europe, Alex Grinkevich. A combat group of about 600 people will form the core of the FLF, while the total number of advanced ground forces in Finland is planned to be increased to the level of a brigade.

Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hyakkanen noted that the creation of FLF Finland is an important step in strengthening the defense of the country and the northern flank of NATO.

"At the beginning of the work of the new government, we announced the goal of creating an advanced NATO ground force in Finland. Progress has been rapid, and tomorrow these forces will officially enter service," he stressed.

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