On May 15, 2022, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin, followed by Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson one day later, announced their countries’ intention to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). While Finnish and Swedish NATO accession may seem like a revolutionary shift in the security policies of two countries traditionally outside military alliances, their decisions are not without precedent.
In Finland, the first public NATO debate took place in 1995, and the issue re-emerged in 2006 and after the 2008 Russo–Georgian war. Following initial engagement with NATO in the 1990s through the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and the Partnership for Peace initiative, both countries significantly expanded and deepened their cooperation with NATO after the events in Ukraine in 2014. As a result, Finland and Sweden became strong NATO partners—essentially as close to the Alliance as non-member countries can be. They participate in joint military exercises, share intelligence, have supported NATO missions in the Balkans and Afghanistan, and contribute as partners to the NATO Response Force (NRF).
Given the extensive literature available on the defense and security policies of the two countries, this analysis focuses solely on the process leading to their shift toward NATO membership and the military capabilities they may bring to the Alliance.
