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09 8 2023

Finland Officials visit the NATO Communications and Information Agency

On 6 September 2023, the NATO Communications and Information (NCI) Agency welcomed officials from the Finnish Defence Forces to NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

Led by Brigadier General Jarmo Vähätiitto, ACOS C4 & CYBER J6, Finnish Defence Command, the delegation was hosted by NCI Agency Chief Operating Officer, Wiebe Nauta and Chief of Acquisition, Jennifer Upton. The meeting was an opportunity for the Finnish Delegation to express their key areas of interest, and to discuss future cooperation and industry opportunities. The Finnish delegation showed great interest in further developing their understanding of NATO's inner functioning, NATO and particularly the Agency's expectations for Finland as a Member nation, and how Finland can support the Alliance and the Agency.

Finland officially joined NATO on 4 April 2023, becoming the 31st Member of the Alliance. Before this day, NATO and the NCI Agency had been working for decades with Finland as a Partner and the NCI Agency is currently supporting Finland with completing their integration into the Alliance. The NCI Agency has been working hard to enable Finland to operate as a full member of the Alliance since 5 July 2022, when NATO Allies signed Finland's Accession Protocol. NCI Agency experts are ready to provide and install the necessary technology and communications and information systems needed to connect the newest NATO Member Nation with the rest of the Alliance.

The NCI Agency and NATO have cooperated with Finland as a Partner nation for 30 years and now, as a Member Nation, the cooperation will continue to support the new Ally in implementing deployable systems. With Finland as a new member, the Alliance has gained a new Nation and a very motivated Ally who is in a position to influence and benefit from NATO capabilities.