The Chief of the Defence Command Finland, Lieutenant General Vesa Virtanen, visited the United Kingdom on 15- 17 July 2025. The visit included a meeting with the Vice Chief of Defence Staff of the UK armed forces, General Sharon Nesmith.
The meeting involved discussions about the present security situation, development of the armed forces, supporting Ukraine and bilateral and multilateral cooperation of the two countries, for example within NATO and in the context of Joint Expeditionary Forces. Lieutenant General Virtanen also visited the UK Permanent Joint Headquarters and the Allied Maritime Command MARCOM, meeting Finnish staff serving there.
- The United Kingdom is our long-time partner and an important Ally. Defence cooperation between our countries is active, and it is being deepened in various ways. I would like to thank my colleague, General Nesmith, for our open discussions and for fostering our shared interests now and in the future. The UK’s commitment to NATO’s defence plans and the Forward Land Forces to be established in Finland is very important to Finland. The Finnish and Allied troops that we met showed the importance of seamless military cooperation, convincing us of the significant role that the Alliance plays in the national defence of Finland. It was great to see how well the Finnish soldiers have integrated into NATO’s and the Allied countries’ military structures”, Lieutenant General Virtanen says.
Lieutenant General Virtanen also gave a speech about the Finnish comprehensive national defence model in the Royal United Services Institute.
The purpose of bilateral and multilateral military cooperation is to strengthen national defence and enhance the Allied countries’ readiness to respond to potential security threats in our neighbouring areas.
