Joining NATO

[TallGrass]

Finland to join NATO as Allied Foreign Ministers meet
03 Apr. 2023
Finland will become the 31st member of NATO on Tuesday (4 April 2023), immediately preceding a two-day meeting of Allied Foreign Ministers. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Finland’s imminent accession, saying: “It will be a good day for Finland’s security, for Nordic security and for NATO as a whole.”
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_212288.htm

Welcome, and may this ensure Finns always ski in peace.

[connyro]

I love the last paragraph. Got to admire and welcome their sisu

[TallGrass]

fark_qyhKj_4DuJJgAFo7uGWj_2roA3I.png
I love the last paragraph. Got to admire and welcome their sisu
fark_EaKxguyRA38UCwLnXn3j-XSkVOQ.gif

"Since we are now a member of Nato, we have a very important task. The task is to give to you for the deposit our ratification of Swedish membership. This is our first act as a member state," [Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka] Haavisto said.
https://yle.fi/a/74-20025750/64-3-146900

I.e., Finland's first act in NATO is their approval of Sweden joining. Seem fairly pro forma to me.

It's a pragmatic formality, removing themselves as a barrier as their joining 'de facto' raises the requisite number of NATO-member approvals for Sweden from 30 to 31, with 28 becoming 29 approving, with Hungary and Turkey remaining -- Sweden's remaining approvals needed briefly went from 2 to 3, then back to 2. Had Finland and Sweden entered concurrently, only 30 would have been needed and then 32 for the next NATO applicant.

Aside from the 12 founding members, the largest group to join was seven (7) in 2004: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Had those seven entered in succession versus concurrently (2004 March 29, 1:00pm local), a diplomatic dilemma could have occurred as in theory any could have blocked any remaining once they themselves were in, even if just minutes or seconds old, to those figuratively standing in line behind them.

https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_52044.htm

Likewise if Finland didn't promptly approve Sweden (or set the process in motion), a diplomatic row could have ensued. What would be interesting to know is how Finland's parliament and president pre-approved Sweden without yet being a member themselves. Perhaps a bill with a "if... then..." immediate trigger clause was used, though I could find no info regarding such.

Regardless, as the countries effectively applied together, I look at the approval as Finland entering the cafe first, but holding the door open behind them expecting Sweden to be right on their heels. No doubt given Nordic area relations, I would think Sweden would have done the same had Finland's approval been delayed.

Now if were about which country is better in hockey ...

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[Ameer_hamza]

Welcome, Finland, as the 31st NATO member on April 4, 2023. For Taiwan's NATO status, visit: [https://www.jluggage.com/blog/country/i ... n-in-nato/]Is Taiwan in NATO[/https://www.jluggage.com/blog/country/i ... n-in-nato/]?

[Capercaillie]

I recently watched this 2014 German Arte TV documentary about the US navy submarine false-flag operation against Sweden in the 1980s and the assassination of Swedish prime minister Olof Palme (most likely with the CIA's involvement). Täuschung - Die Methode Reagan:



https://programm.ard.de/?sendung=2872414477346630

I guess the people of Sweden have learned nothing in the mean time. To quote the great American orator and warmongering sociopath George W. Bush, "fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."

If you think this is anything other than an MLN scam to sign up another country to tithe 2% of their annual GDP to the US military-industrial complex for subscription Tupperware Wunderwaffe, you have some learning to do.

[mca80]

Why is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization soliciting members in the Eastern Pacific? If you aren't concerned about the progress of this organization I question if you are thinking critically.

[Montana St Alum]

Why is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization soliciting members in the Eastern Pacific? If you aren't concerned about the progress of this organization I question if you are thinking critically.

Yeah, NATO has become too big and powerful. It's like it's run by the defense industries of western nations. Mostly U.S. of course.

[randoskier]

Why is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization soliciting members in the Eastern Pacific? If you aren't concerned about the progress of this organization I question if you are thinking critically.

Yeah, NATO has become too big and powerful. It's like it's run by the defense industries of western nations. Mostly U.S. of course.

NATO rocks and is the reason the scumbag Russians are not over-running the Baltics and the Nordic countries. I hope Ukraine slaughters Russia.

[Lhartley]

Problem with Nato is it encourages arms production. When a country joins Nato they have to standardize to Nato spec arms, further enriching those arms producers and causing massive surpluses in those countries as they replace supplies to match Nato spec. We are supposedly in a climate emergency (according to the mayor of my home city, Calgary) yet the world is needlessly producing a massive glut of materials because of Nato

[Montana St Alum]

I've flown combat related (not engaging in actual combat) missions with NATO in the F-14A deployed on the USS Enterprise on two cruises (plus operations against Gaddafi) and before that flew the RF-8 in support of operations in the Bekaa Valley. I'm not opposed to NATO, per se, but when you start treating non-signatories like signatories to defense treaties, war zones expand quickly and it gets really dangerous, really fast. And Russia is a far cry from the old Soviet Union, with massed armored divisions at the east end of the Fulda gap. The Western nations helped push Ukraine and Russia together into this war. Ukraine isn't coming out ahead. They're being slaughtered. This only gives me A perspective, NOT ultimate knowledge of what should be done, but be careful what you (WE - myself included) wish for!

I'll post some Naval Aviation porn in a separate thread if anyone wants to see some F-14 porn just for the hell of it.


I was also lucky enough to fly the F-16N as an adversary instructor.
Apparently, Ukraine is getting some of our old ones.