UK offers nuclear protection to Finland and European allies

Britain has offered to extend its national nuclear deterrent to Finland and other members of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), Finnish media reported. The JEF brings together Britain, the Nordic and Baltic countries, and the Netherlands. The move comes as its members are expected to sign a deal creating new fighting forces in Oslo in November.

British Navy Commander Admiral Gwyn Jenkins, who recently visited Finland, told the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti that Finland is already “under the nuclear umbrella,” adding: “This is guaranteed by our submarines, which are patrolling the Atlantic right now.”

Jenkins also said that British nuclear weapons would form the backbone of deterrence for the new JEF forces.

The chairman of the Finnish Defense Committee, Heikki Autto, confirmed to the Finnish news agency STT that the United Kingdom had made clear its commitment to the security of the JEF countries, including through nuclear weapons.

“Their naval commander has emphasized Britain’s strong commitment to this cooperation with the JEF and, through this, these new openings have been made,” Autto told STT on Monday. He described Britain “as a European state with nuclear weapons” and therefore the “leading state” in the JEF.

The activation of the new JEF groups would not require NATO to invoke Article 5, the alliance’s mutual collective defense clause.