Nordic Chiefs of Navy met in Suomenlinna

The commanders of the Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish navies gathered to their annual meeting, this year held in Suomenlinna, on 16 September.

The Navy commanders’ regular meetings are part of Nordic naval cooperation, the key elements of which include a common recognised maritime picture and jointly coordinated activities in the North.

The cooperation is evolving constantly, with new forms of cooperation emerging. The Swedish Navy is contributing to the surveillance and safeguarding of Finland's territorial integrity in the Baltic Sea this autumn. The commanders also had discussions about new capabilities, such as the developments and future use of unmanned systems.

- We are united by our common interest in the defence of the North and the Baltic Sea, the host of the meeting, Commander of the Finnish Navy, Rear Admiral Tuomas Tiilikainen says. 

- The shared recognised maritime picture, the exercises we are having together and the open dialogue have built the foundation for our ability to support each other also in the surveillance and safeguarding of territorial integrity, Tiilikainen says.

The other Navy commanders in the meeting were Rear Admiral Johan Norlén form Sweden, Rear Admiral Søren Kjeldsen from Denmark and Rear Admiral Oliver Berdal from Norway.