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New Finnish government plans to study possibility of NATO membership

NATOSource

Jun 3, 2015

Finland’s Exploration of NATO Membership: The Benefits of Joining the Alliance

By Mark Seip

Last week, Finland’s new government announced that they will explore the possibility of NATO membership.

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President Barack Obama in Warsaw, June 3, 2014

NATOSource

Jun 3, 2015

The European Reassurance Initiative’s One Year Anniversary: Mixed Results

By Ian Brzezinski

On June 3, 2014, President Barack Obama announced the European Reassurance Initiative, ERI, a key element of his Administration’s strategy to counter Moscow’s provocative military actions, including Russia’ invasion of Ukraine, launched just three months earlier.

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Swedish corvette HMS Helsingborg, June 30, 2008

NATOSource

Jun 1, 2015

Foreign Incursions into Swedish Territorial Waters Expose Stockholm’s Military Shortcomings

By Elisabeth Braw, Politico Europe

At the end of the Cold War, Swedish submarine hunters commanded an arsenal featuring depth charges, torpedoes, and anti-submarine-warfare grenades, and surface submarine hunters were aided by a large number of helicopters, which easily spot movements in the water.

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Event Recap

May 28, 2015

Sweden’s Role in the Nordic-Baltic Region and the Transatlantic Relationship

By The Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security

On May 20, the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security hosted a discussion on “Sweden’s Role in the Nordic-Baltic Region and the Transatlantic Relationship” with Sweden’s Minister of Defense Peter Hultqvist and experts from the Atlantic Council.

Northern Europe

Event Recap

May 28, 2015

Nordic Security and the Transatlantic Link

By The Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security

On May 21, the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security held a workshop on Nordic Security and the Transatlantic Link with leading regional experts and senior government officials from the United States and Nordic-Baltic region.

Northern Europe

In the News

May 26, 2015

Nordenman: Of Eagles and Griffins: A View from Washington

By Magnus Nordenman

Brent Scowcroft Center Deputy Director Magnus Nordenman writes for the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Quarterly on the future of the US-Swedish defense and security relationship:

Northern Europe
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, March 5, 2015

NATOSource

May 25, 2015

New Finnish Government Raises NATO Stakes

By Gerard O'Dwyer, Defense News

In a move that is certain to further irritate Moscow, Finland’s new center-right coalition has included the option of applying for NATO membership “at any time” in its government formation Joint Policy Position statement.

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Estonian Defence League mortar platoon, Oct. 30, 2013

NATOSource

May 18, 2015

Paramilitary Groups Surge in Popularity in Eastern Europe

By Felicity Capon, Newsweek

Thousands of ordinary civilians, including doctors, carpenters and teachers, are flocking to join volunteer paramilitary groups in several European countries, with some doubling in size since the start of the Ukraine crisis, Newsweek has discovered.

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Issue Brief

May 18, 2015

A transatlantic approach to Europe’s east: relaunching the Eastern Partnership

By Fran Burwell

On May 20-21, 2015, European leaders will gather for the Eastern Partnership summit in Riga, Latvia, to discuss the future of Europe’s East. Given the extreme challenges faced by the countries of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) since the last summit, in Vilnius, Lithuania in 2013, and the cooling of EU relations with several of the […]

Northern Europe
Estonian army scouts participating in SIIL/Steadfast Javelin Exercise, May 11, 2015

NATOSource

May 14, 2015

Baltic Military Chiefs to Call for Permanent NATO Presence

By Andrius Sytas and David Mardiste, Reuters

Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia will seek a permanent presence of NATO troops on their territory to counter increased Russian air and naval activity, the Lithuanian army said on Thursday.

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Experts