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Agreement on Defense Cooperation between Finland and the United States of America

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The Defense Cooperation Agreement, or DCA, is a bilateral treaty between Finland and the United States on mutual cooperation and NATO membership obligations. The DCA entered into force on September 1, 2024.[1]

The United States shares similar agreements with Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Estonia.[2]

Background

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Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen (left) and Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen (center), along with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (right), at the signing of the DCA on December 18, 2023.[3]

On February 3, 2023, in the presence of Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, a delegation was appointed to conduct Finland-US negotiations on the Defense Cooperation Agreement.[4] The negotiations were formally initiated on March, 2023.

In its general session on December 14, 2023, the Finnish Government proposed to President Niinistö that Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen, or in his stead Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, be authorized to sign the Defense Cooperation Agreement.[5] On December 15, President Niinistö accepted the proposal.

On December 18, 2023, the defense agreement between Finland and the United States was ratified in a Washington, D.C. ceremony attended by Häkkänen, Valtonen, and United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken.[6][7][8]

On December 19, Russia invited Finnish Ambassador Antti Helanterä [fi] to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for an interview regarding the treaty. The Finnish Foreign Ministry replied that Finland had already called a meeting regarding the treaty on Finland's eastern border with Russia, in which the Russian Foreign Ministry also discussed the Defense Cooperation Agreement between the United States and Finland. Russian officials stated that they "are taking the necessary steps to respond to the aggressive decisions of Finland and its NATO allies."[9]

The DCA agreement proceeded to the parliament's hearing after the government decided on the matter on May 30, 2024.[10] On June 24, 2024, the Constitutional Law Committee issued a statement that approval of the DCA agreement requires a qualified majority of two-thirds of the votes cast.[11] Parliament approved the DCA agreement on July 1, 2024. Only Anna Kontula (from the Left Alliance) made a motion to reject the agreement, but the motion was not supported. Thus, the DCA agreement was unanimously approved without a vote.[12]

Content

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U.S. soldiers pilot the M2 Bradley Vehicle during the Arrow 23 exercise in Niinisalo, Finland on May 5, 2023. It was an armored forces exercise involving troops from Finland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

The purpose of the DCA agreement is to improve cooperation between Finland and the United States in all security situations.[13] It agrees on the practices related to the entry of troops into the country and the advance storage of material.[14] In the agreement, Finland grants access to the following military areas to the United States:

  1. Border Guard's barracks in Ivalo
  2. Karelia Air Command's air base in Rissala
  3. Pori Brigade's garrison area in Niinisalo and Pohjankangas-Hämeenkangas training areas
  4. A storage area in Parkano
  5. Nyland Brigade's garrison area in Raseborg and Syndalen training area in Hanko
  6. Rovajärvi training area and Misi storage area in the Lapland region
  7. Lapland Air Command's air base and garrison area of the Jaeger Brigade, both in Rovaniemi
  8. A storage area in Skinnarvik, Kimitoön
  9. A storage area in Letku, Tammela
  10. Satakunta Air Command's air base in Pirkkala
  11. A storage area in Tervola
  12. Air Force Academy's air base in Tikkakoski
  13. A naval base and garrison area in Upinniemi and the Russarö island in Hanko
  14. Veitsiluoto's storage area on the Ajos island in Kemi
  15. Karelia Brigade's Vekaranjärvi garrison area and Pahkajärvi training area, both in Kouvola.[15]

The areas stipulated in the agreement will be jointly used by the Finnish Defense Forces and the United States Armed Forces. The agreement has taken into account possible future regional and spatial needs, to avoid a premature amending of the agreement.[16]

The DCA agreement also deals with taxation and criminal law. Finland will not charge rent for premises or areas made available to the United States. The United States, on the other hand, is only responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance costs of the premises and areas that the Finnish government allows them to use, unless otherwise agreed. The costs of the premises and areas jointly used by the US forces and the Finnish Defense Forces are covered in proportion to their use. The agreement does not prohibit nuclear weapons, but it refers to Finnish legislation and international agreements; the Nuclear Energy Act is in force in Finland, which prohibits the transit and storage of nuclear weapons in Finland.[17]

In the case of possible crimes committed by those serving in the US forces, judgment is given by the United States. On a case-by-case basis, the transfer of jurisdiction can be canceled if the crime is of special importance to Finland. These include socially significant crimes, sexual crimes, and crimes against life and health.[17] Finland waives its jurisdiction over crimes committed by US troops when they have served in Finland. However, in "particularly important individual cases" Finland can cancel the transfer of jurisdiction to the United States. The United States has the power to decide which activities of its forces in Finland are to be considered service-related in Finland.[18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Defence Cooperation Agreement with the United States (DCA)". Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  2. ^ Lakka, Päivi (December 15, 2023). "Eikö DCA vielä sano mitään? Ota haltuun ainakin nämä faktat Suomen ja Yhdysvaltain puolustusta koskevasta sopimuksesta". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  3. ^ Finland, U. S. Embassy (December 21, 2023). "The United States and Finland signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement on December 18, 2023". U.S. Embassy in Finland. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  4. ^ "Valtuuskunnan asettaminen Suomen ja Yhdysvaltain välillä käytäviin neuvotteluihin puolustusyhteistyösopimuksesta" (in Finnish). Government of Finland. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  5. ^ "Valtioneuvosto esittää Suomen ja Yhdysvaltojen välisen puolustusyhteistyösopimuksen allekirjoittamista" (in Finnish). Government of Finland. December 14, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  6. ^ Kajander, Riikka (December 18, 2023). "Suomi ja Yhdysvallat allekirjoittivat DCA-sopimuksen – Blinken: Historiallinen vuosi maiden yhteistyölle". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  7. ^ "The United States and Finland signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement on December 18, 2023". U.S. Embassy in Finland. December 21, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  8. ^ "Finland, USA sign defence co-op deal". Daily Finland. December 19, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  9. ^ Heiskanen, Heikki; Kokko, Mira (December 19, 2023). "Venäjä kutsui Suomen suurlähettilään puhutteluun DCA-sopimuksen takia". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  10. ^ Paukeri, Marica (May 30, 2024). "DCA-sopimus etenee eduskuntaan – ministerin mukaan puolustusmateriaalin varastoinnin aloittamisesta keskustellaan jo". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  11. ^ "Perustuslakivaliokunta: Suomen ja Yhdysvaltojen DCA-sopimus hyväksyttävä kahden kolmasosan määräenemmistöllä". Yle (in Finnish). June 24, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  12. ^ Jantunen, Salla (July 1, 2024). "Eduskunta hyväksyi Suomen ja Yhdysvaltojen puolustusyhteistyösopimuksen yksimielisesti". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  13. ^ "Kysymyksiä ja vastauksia DCA-sopimuksesta" (in Finnish). Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  14. ^ "Puolustusyhteistyösopimus Yhdysvaltojen kanssa tuonee lisäturvaa etenkin Pohjois-Suomeen, ja siitä voi vain iloita". Kaleva (in Finnish). Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  15. ^ Lakka, Päivi; Toivonen, Terhi; Valta, Laura (December 14, 2023). "DCA-sopimus julki: Nämä 15 aluetta Suomi avaa Yhdysvaltain joukoille – puolustusministeri: "Kriisitilanteissa voidaan ryhtyä tositoimiin"". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  16. ^ "Suomen ja Yhdysvaltojen välisen puolustusyhteistyösopimuksen (DCA) vaikutukset Puolustusvoimiin -" (in Finnish). Finnish Defence Forces. December 14, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Pietarila, Päivikki (December 19, 2023). "Tällainen on DCA-sopimus, jonka Suomi tänään solmii". Kauppalehti (in Finnish). Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  18. ^ "Oikeuskansleri: DCA-sopimusta koskevasta esityksestä ei ilmene riittävän tarkasti, mihin Suomi sitoutuu". Yle (in Finnish). April 11, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
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