Norway has announced that they will contribute and the United Kingdom has also mentioned it, says Minister of Defence Pål Jonson (M).
The message came in connection with a meeting between NATO's defence ministers in The Hague.
NATO has so-called advanced multinational land forces, FLF, in eight countries near Russia's border. Finland will now also get an FLF and NATO asked Sweden last year to be responsible for assembling such a force.
We are working actively to further develop both FLF and which countries will be included, says Jonson.
That the United Kingdom is participating with troops is particularly important.
They naturally have impressive expeditionary resources, it is natural that the United Kingdom also contributes, says Jonson.
Not permanently on site
More countries than Sweden, Norway, and the United Kingdom will participate, but which ones they are or how large the force will be has not been announced.
In contrast to the other eight FLF forces, the one in Finland will not be permanently on site. For example, in Latvia, Denmark and Sweden take turns contributing troops, and thus, together with other countries, contribute to a multinational NATO force always being on site.
When it comes to the future FLF force in Finland, only staff officers and possible pre-positioned war material will be permanently on site.
Troops will in peacetime be present from time to time, for example, through exercises on site. Then they will be stationed in Rovaniemi and Sodankylä, which Finnish media reported on last winter.
In this way, the soldiers will be familiar with the terrain and climate if they are deployed in a sharp situation.
Headquarters in northern Finland
The idea is that a headquarters with staff officers will be set up in northern Finland. The headquarters will facilitate the contribution of forces from other NATO countries to quickly contribute to the defence of northern Finland in the event of a military attack.
It has previously been said that the headquarters could be up and running by 2026.
