According to The New York Times, after decades of dealing with security issues alone, the Finns have found that life in a large alliance is complicated, expensive and politicized. Quickly joining NATO was the easiest part of the complicated integration process, with all the financial, legal and strategic hurdles.
Janne Kuusela, Director of Defense Policy at the Ministry of Defense, noted that joining NATO is expensive, supporting Ukraine is also expensive, and there is no end to it in sight anytime soon.
NATO membership used to be considered a "cheap advantage," but the alliance also has extensive requirements, the NYT writes. Integration will require the government and military to make a number of "difficult and costly decisions."
Finland's defense force commander, General Timo Kivinen, said the collective defense article will require Helsinki to do more in military planning. Finland will have to contribute to NATO's collective defense, and this is "something new."
We shall remind you that the USA tripled the frequency of reconnaissance flights near Crimea.