{"id":26646,"date":"2020-05-12T08:30:17","date_gmt":"2020-05-12T08:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/05\/12\/a-view-from-finland-security-and-defense-in-the-arctic\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:18:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:18:40","slug":"a-view-from-finland-security-and-defense-in-the-arctic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/frozen-pathways\/2020\/05\/12\/a-view-from-finland-security-and-defense-in-the-arctic\/","title":{"rendered":"A view from Finland: Security and defense in the Arctic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Just by looking at the map, it is evident why the Arctic region matters so much to Finland. Although Finland is not a littoral Arctic country, a sizable part of the Finnish territory lies above the Arctic Circle. Finland is located in both the Arctic and the Baltic Sea regions, which are increasingly perceived by defense planners as a single, Northern European operational theater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The broad geopolitical interest toward the Arctic region is hardly a new phenomenon. Apart from the couple of decades after the Cold War, the military strategic importance of the Arctic has been mainstream during most of the past 80 years. Today, strategic considerations have returned, combined with prospects of increasing navigation and economic activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Arctic is not insulated from broader global security dynamics and challenges, be it great power competition or the impacts of climate change. Russia is a key actor in the Arctic<\/a>, especially militarily. It controls a significant portion of the Arctic coastal line and has strong economic and security interests in the region. China has declared itself as a \u201cnear Arctic state\u201d and included Arctic sea lines in its Polar Silk Road initiative. China has demonstrated its interest, for example, in low-temperature expertise, Arctic infrastructure, digital connectivity and natural resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\t