Today Finland became the 31st member country NATOexpansion of the Alliance, which is a strategic blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin. NATO member states’ borders with Russia are doubling and the Alliance gained access to a military with a long history of fighting its larger neighbor.
Finland’s entry into NATO adds to the alliance one of the most powerful military forces in Western Europe, as well as intelligence-gathering and border surveillance capabilities developed over decades to counter the threat posed by Russia, US officials told The New York Times.
The active military personnel number 23,000, but during times of war this number can quickly rise to 280,000. thanks to an expanded conscription system capable of mobilizing up to a million soldiers. These opportunities stem from a desire for security in a country that shares more than 800 miles of border with Russia and has experienced two invasions during the 20th century.
“Geographically, joining the Finns to the Alliance adds a huge border that is difficult to defend and complicates Putin’s calculations,” explains James Stavrindes, a retired US admiral and former NATO military commander.
Source: Kathimerini
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