A Finnish soldier takes part in an exercise near Kouvola, Finland, on May 28, 2026. NATO’s newest multinational battlegroup focused on securing Arctic territories began operations in Sweden and Finland over the weekend. (Terra Gatti/U.S. Army)
NATO’s newest multinational battlegroup began operations in Sweden and Finland over the weekend, giving a boost to the alliance’s force posture on its northern and eastern edges.
The battlegroup is led by Sweden and falls inside the newly established NATO Forward Land Forces Finland initiative.
“This region is one of the most strategically significant and environmentally challenging areas in the world,” Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said in a statement Saturday upon activation of the force.
The establishment of FLF Finland puts a Swedish battlegroup based in Boden, Sweden, and a multinational staff element in Rovaniemi, Finland, under Grynkewich’s command.
The mission of the units in Sweden and Finland centers on ensuring that “the Arctic and High North remains secure, especially considering Russia’s military activity and China’s growing interest there,” Grynkewich added.
A Finnish soldier prepares for a training exercise near Kouvola, Finland, on May 26, 2026. A multinational battlegroup within NATO’s Forward Land Forces Finland initiative began operations in Sweden and Finland over the weekend. (Terra Gatti/U.S. Army)
The forces involved in the battlegroup are drawn from NATO’s two newest members, Sweden and Finland, which bring specialized Arctic warfighting capabilities into NATO.
Both countries ended decades of military nonalignment and applied to join the alliance as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
The decision to set up the new land force effort was made during NATO’s 2024 summit and took about two years to build out.
Over the past decade, NATO has been adding battlegroups in strategic regions. The effort began in the aftermath of Russia’s 2014 invasion of Ukraine, which prompted allies to strengthen defenses along NATO’s eastern flank.
That resulted in the formation of multinational battlegroups in Poland and the Baltic states. More of the groups have since been added in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia.
