Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden are combining military resources to counter Russia's growing military power. This cooperation is seen as a 'plan B', especially in the face of Trump's criticism of NATO and possible policies. Countries aim to strengthen their regional security by establishing joint air command and developing a common defense concept by 2030.
According to the news of The Wall Street Journal, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden decided to unite their military resources alone, thinking that they could not resist Russia.
These four Northern European countries predict that Russia can regain its military power that could clash with NATO by the end of the decade.
With Finland and Sweden joining NATO, it became even more important that they combined their military resources to repel a "possible attack".
In particular, the threats of US President Donald Trump coming to power and reducing support for NATO made the common approach even more urgent.
Sweden has a developed defense industry that produces submarines, battle tanks and supersonic fighter jets.
Norway has advanced naval intelligence and combat capabilities in the Arctic.
Finland, on the other hand, has one of the largest armies in Europe and strong artillery units. Danish special forces also have ten years of service experience in dangerous areas of Afghanistan and Iraq.
The total economy of these four countries is slightly smaller than Russia's GDP.
Erik Ciaramella, a senior researcher at the Carnegie Center for Russia and Eurasian Studies in Berlin, said, "There is a regional grouping with the economic and resource potential necessary to build a fully integrated defense industry base like Germany, but the perception of threats is completely different and has a strong political will."
Matti Pesu, a senior researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Relations, added that this Northern bloc could be a model for other country troops around the Black Sea.
According to Pesu, this model can also serve as a future insurance if the transatlantic alliance disintegrates due to Trump's actions.
"This is a potential plan B if NATO does not work," Pesu said.
Countries united their air force by establishing the Northern Countries Joint Air Command in 2023.
Last year, they developed a joint defense concept until 2030 within the scope of the Northern Defense Cooperation (Nordefco).
According to former NATO Secretary General and current Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg, Northern European countries have been pursuing a common security policy for the first time since the 1400s as they recognize the importance of deepening military cooperation.
According to a recent assessment by Danish intelligence, “Russia can start a war against one or more European NATO countries in three to five years.”
Northern countries are some of Ukraine's most active supporters. According to February data from the Kiel Institute for World Economy, the military aid provided as a percentage of Sweden's GDP ranks 6th, Finland ranks 5th, Denmark 2nd (surrendered all its artillery) and Norway ranks 11th.
However, Oslo recently announced that it has doubled its support for Kiev this year by over 8 billion euros.
Copenhagen, on the other hand, has developed a plan to finance the Ukrainian government's purchase of weapons from the country's defense enterprises.
This approach, called the "Danish model", is being adopted by more and more European countries: Instead of supplying weapons to Ukraine that they cannot produce themselves, they finance production in Ukraine, where Ukraine knows its own war needs better, can quickly adapt its production and at the same time provides incentives for its economy.
Anna Wieslander, Director of Northern Europe at the Atlantic Council, said, "Supporting Ukraine's Defence industry is a reliable way to deter Russia at a time when the United States is blocking Ukraine's accession to NATO."
“Unifying our defense industries is a very strong signal,” Wieslander added.
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