Military build-up and defense cooperation in the Nordic region

Military buildup and defense cooperation in the Nordic region

Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine as well as Finland’s and Sweden’s membership of NATO have changed the framework conditions for rearmament and defense cooperation in the Nordic region. The recent shifts in Nordic countries’ security and defence policies have opened a historic window of opportunity for closer defense cooperation. Since 2023, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland have made new, long-term defense agreements, setting the direction for the countries’ defense policies. Against this backdrop, the CMS report Militær opbygning og forsvarssamarbejde i Norden discusses the future of Nordic defense cooperation. The report is authored by Alexander Høgsberg Tetzlaff and is published in collaboration with Djøf Publishing.

Converging and diverging trends in Nordic defense cooperation

The report accounts for a number of central trends in the military buildup and the development of defense cooperation in the Nordic region. First, the similar and simultaneous shifts in the Nordic countries’ security and defence policies, including the large increases in defense budgets, create new opportunities for planning and coordination across the region. This is reinforced by the Nordic NATO expansion as well as a uniform threat perception of Russia.

Second, the convergence among the Nordics provides an opportunity to rethink Nordic defence, with the Arctic, the North Atlantic, the Baltic Sea region, and the Finnish border to Russia as key parts of one coherent strategic and operational space. This creates better conditions for joint task execution, increased interoperability, and more effective utilization of military capabilities.

Third, there are several diverging trends, which can limit the depth of cooperation. Differences in military geography, defense industrial interests, and national political priorities mean that close integration, particularly at the strategic level, will continue to be politically and institutionally challenging.

Overall, however, the converging trends in the current security policy situation weigh heavier than the diverging trends.

Recommendations

Although there is now a huge potential in advancing Nordic defense cooperation, this cooperation cannot replace the need for support from larger NATO allies, including the United States. Nordic defence cooperation should therefore be seen as a supplement that can strengthen the Nordic region’s total defense and deterrence capability, but not as an independent alternative to NATO’s collective deterrence and defense.

For Denmark, it is crucial, on the one hand, to utilize the new opportunities for closer cooperation in the Nordic region and, on the other hand, to be aware of Danish structural limitations, including low redundancy and significant rebuilding needs. The report therefore highlights the importance of targeting Danish contributions where they create the greatest common value, as well as strengthening coordination, knowledge sharing, and defense diplomacy in the Nordic region.

The report formulates a number of recommendations with a view to enabling Denmark to strategically navigate in a Nordic security and defence landscape undergoing rapid change.

Download the CMS report: Military buildup and defense cooperation in the Nordic region here.

Download the associated CMS memo.

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