Can the Nordic Model Save NATO? A New Way to Deter Russia
Foreign Affairs · Matti Pesu ·
A new way to deter Russia.
In August, at Finland’s request, the Swedish government deployed fighter aircraft and a warship to help patrol Finland’s eastern airspace and the Gulf of Finland against Russian air incursions and drones straying from Ukrainian operations. Critically, the Swedish assets involved were placed under Finnish command and followed Finnish rules of engagement. It was the latest example of how Finland and Sweden, the two newest additions to NATO, have made qualitative leaps in defense coordination.
The Nordic countries have expanded regional collaboration significantly in the past four years. Between them, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden now boast a new long-term defense strategy, a cross-border transit area, frequent joint exercises, and unprecedented levels of command integration. In effect, these governments are forming their own regional deterrence cluster: a like-minded group of states deepening military cooperation to strengthen deterrence and, if required, ensure NATO’s broader collective defense.
The Nordic model offers a glimpse of the adaptive solutions that may sustain NATO through uncertain times. Moscow’s appetite for risk is growing; its military buildup and escalating attacks on European infrastructure suggest that Russia constitutes a long-term threat to the alliance. At the same time, the Trump administration is pushing its European allies to take primary responsibility for the continent’s defense. Europeans must therefore deter a more dangerous Russia with less help.
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