At a signing ceremony held at Karlberg Castle June 30, Swedish Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist together with UK Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon and Minster of Defence of Finland Jussi Niinistö joined the United Kingdom-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF).
JEF is a UK framework for a rapidly deployable force capable of conducting the full spectrum of UN, EU and NATO operations. Spearheaded by the UK, Sweden and Finland make the JEF a nine-nation-strong pool of forces, alongside Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Norway. The JEF builds on many years of experience between the UK and these countries.
Participation in missions is decided on a case by case basis, after a decision by the appropriate competent national authorities. During the Ebola outbreak a Dutch ship worked alongside the Royal Navy, and the Norwegians provided twice weekly C130 flights to support the UK response to the crisis. This example of joint work is a clear example of the kind of humanitarian support the JEF will be able to provide.
The JEF concept is distinct from existing international organisations, and can operate alone, but has the ability to integrate with other multinational high-readiness forces, and can support NATO, EU, and UN forces.
– The JEF will complement our bilateral and multilateral cooperation focusing both on our close vicinity and a broader global agenda said Swedish Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist.
– Both Sweden and the UK are major partners for Finland and joining JEF gives our cooperation yet another dimension. We believe that the cooperation will enhance our national defence capability and deepen cooperation with our partners, said Minister of Defence of Finland Jussi Niinistö.
Representatives from other participating countries were also present at Karlberg Castle. After the ceremony Peter Hultqvist, Michael Fallon and Jussi Niinistö will attend the seminar – The Security Situation in Northern Europe, arranged by Folk och Försvar and Finlandsinstitutet.