NATO Secures Finland, Sweden As Forward Operating Bases

North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Allied Command Operations

September 5, 2014
FINLAND AND SWEDEN SIGNING A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH NATO FOR OPERATIONAL AND LOGISTIC SUPPORT

Gen. Jarmo Lindberg (left), Finnish Chief of Defense, Gen. Phil Breedlove (center), Supreme Allied Commander Europe, and Gen. Sverker Göranson, Swedish Chief of Defense, sign a Host Nation Support Agreement during the NATO Summit 2014 at Newport, Wales, United Kingdom.
NATO photo courtesy Edouard Bocquet.

Newport, United Kingdom: General Jarmo Lindberg, Finnish Chief of Defense; General Sverker Göranson, Swedish Chief of Defense; and Phil Breedlove, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, each signed a Host Nation Support Agreement between their respective country and NATO at the 2014 NATO Summit yesterday.
The purpose of this Memorandum of Understanding is to establish policy and procedures for operational, and logistic support sites. The provision of Host Nation Support is aimed to sustain NATO-led forces in, or supported from, Host Nations during operations.
“I welcome the decision of Finland and Sweden to sign the standing Memorandum of Understanding for Exercises, Operations and Disaster Relief Operations. This initiative will leave NATO and its Partners in a better situation for developing the Readiness Action Plan, and allow the development of intermediate and long-term assurance measures”, said General Breedlove.
This Memorandum of Understanding is intended to serve as a basis for planning by appropriate Host Nation authorities and by NATO Commanders anticipating support arrangements for a variety of operations. This Memorandum of Understanding applies equally to all operations in which deploying forces have been identified and those for which forces are yet to be identified.
Story by: SHAPE Public Affairs Office.

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