JEF Defence Chiefs discuss Baltic Sea security in Helsinki

Defence Chiefs of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) on Wednesday met in Helsinki and discussed various issues including security matters, including in the Baltic Sea and the High North, and the future development of the JEF.

Finland’s Chief of Defence, General Timo Kivinen hosted the bi-annual meeting of the Chiefs of Defence, said Finnish Defence Forces in a press release.

In addition, a scenario-based exercise to explore the operationalisation of JEF took place.

“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,” said UK Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin.

“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,” Radakin added.

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, adding, “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.”

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.