JEF Chiefs of Defence Met in Helsinki

The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) Chiefs of Defence held their bi-annual meeting in Helsinki, hosted by Finland’s Chief of Defence, General Timo Kivinen.

During the meeting, the Chiefs of Defence discussed security matters, including in the Baltic Sea and the High North, and the future development of the JEF. In addition, a scenario-based exercise to explore the operationalisation of JEF took place.

The JEF is a multilateral framework, originating from the 2014 NATO Wales Summit for regional defence cooperation. The JEF is made up of ten Participant Nations (PNs): Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Collectively, JEF PNs use their expertise to counter multi-domain and hybrid threats, operating as a complementary force to NATO and together with other security actors across the JEF core regions of the North Atlantic, High North and Baltic Sea. Finland and Sweden joined the JEF in summer 2017 and have since contributed to activities and exercises across multiple domains.

UK Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said “It was excellent to meet with my nine counterparts in the JEF format today, the meeting was very timely, given the evolving work with other multinational security institutions. The European security architecture has been under high pressure over the last 12 months, but the nations of the JEF remain resolute in our support to the security and the maintenance of stability in northern Europe and further afield.

We held productive discussions about our JEF response options, including how we can complement and support NATO activity. We also reiterated our shared responsibility to ensure stability across the JEF core regions of the North Atlantic, High North and Baltic Sea.”

JEF is recognised as one of the key contributors to defence and security across its core regions, all of which are extremely important regions for Finland and other JEF Participant Nations’ security. “JEF’s agile way of planning and operating enhances security in Northern Europe,” said Gen Kivinen.

“JEF’s combined capacity and capability is a clear sign of how we stand together, providing reassurance to our populations and deterrence to any would-be adversaries.”