Director General of NATO International Military Staff (DGIMS), Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak visited Finland on 2-5 May 2023. The visit was hosted by Chief of Defence Command, Lieutenant General Vesa Virtanen.
During the visit, the talks involved, among others, military integration relating to NATO membership, and Lieutenant General Adamczak was familiarized with Finland’s defence system. During his visit Lieutenant General Adamczak met also Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces, Chief of Defence, General Timo Kivinen. The programme for the visit included visits to the exercise Arrow 23, the Finnish Air Force Command and the Finnish Border Guard.
According to Chief of Defence Command, Lieutenant General Vesa Virtanen, the integration process with NATO will be advanced actively and multidimensionally.
- It is important that military integration is advanced simultaneously on a number of levels. This enables us to ensure that Finland’s defence is fully integrated into the Alliance’s collective defence. A strong national defence capability combined with NATO membership will generate a credible security solution far into the future.
DGIMS Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak emphasized the continuous process of Finnish integration to NATO.
- I am impressed by the FDF’s professionalism, commitment and military capabilities that I have personally experienced during my first visit in Finland as DGIMS. I praised the determination of the FDF leadership on their commitment to reach full NATO integration. As Director General of the IMS, my task will be to facilitate the process of FDF integration at all levels of NATO HQ, including IMS as well as throughout the NATO Command Structure in line with NATO’s three core tasks and the DDA family of plans. I am convinced that both NATO and FDF will mutually benefit from a swift process to full integration
The NATO International Military Staff (IMS) is located at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. The IMS consists of a staff of approximately 500, composed of military and civilian personnel from NATO member countries. It provides strategic and military advice and staff support for the NATO Military Committee, which advises the North Atlantic Council on military aspects of policy, operations and transformation within the Alliance. The IMS also ensures that NATO decisions and policies on military matters are implemented by the appropriate NATO military bodies.
