In the Finnish city of Mikkeli, the official opening of the multi-body headquarters of the NATO command “North” (MCLCC-N). reported this by the press service of the Ministry of Defense. of Finland.
The headquarters will be responsible for the planning, training and management of Allied ground forces in Northern Europe under the direction of Joint Force Norfolk. The Minister of Defense of Finland, Antti Häkkanen, took part in the opening ceremony, who called the event a “historic day” for the country.
“We sought to establish a NATO command in Finland in the fall of 2023 to maximize Finland’s security. Our goals were endorsed at the NATO Defense Ministers meeting in June 2024. Now, a year later, we are already launching the command. The MCLCC-N will strengthen NATO’s defense in the north and increase security in Finland, the minister said.
Currently, about 10 employees work in the headquarters. In peacetime, it is planned to expand the staff to approximately 50 people. Representatives of NATO member states and the Finnish Armed Forces will serve as part of the MCLCC-N. Under normal conditions, the headquarters will be responsible for conducting exercises and other NATO activities in the northern region, and in emergency situations – for planning, managing and coordinating ground operations and defense on the northern borders of the Alliance.
“I thank our allies for their support in establishing the command in Finland and would like to extend a warm welcome to the command’s international staff. We have an important task before us. In response to the dangerous state of the international security situation, we are now renewing and strengthening NATO with unprecedented strength. The MCLCC-N has the task of strengthening NATO’s defense in the Far North so that we can guarantee the security of our region for many years to come, added Hakkänen.
