The five Nordic countries — Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland — will work towards establishing a common defence deal in order to boost NATO's overall ability to deter and defend, Norway's Defence Minister Tore Sandvik said on Thursday, according to Reuters.

Source: Reuters, Nov 12, 2026

Sandvik announced the move in Oslo on Thursday, November 12. The five nations are all members of NATO, since Finland and Sweden joined the military alliance in 2023 and 2024, and they have worked since then to improve their cooperation, for instance by conducting joint military and civilian preparedness exercises, Reuters reported.

What Sandvik said

"We have already come a long way within the framework of NATO. We exercise and train together more than ever before. Now we want to take the cooperation one step further and integrate the Nordic armed forces even more closely," Sandvik said in a statement quoted by Reuters.

One particular challenge highlighted by the countries' military leadership was the need to harmonise laws and regulations, for instance when it comes to moving military personnel and equipment across borders, Reuters reported.

"We see that there is potential to remove practical obstacles and adapt laws and regulations to make it possible to operate even more smoothly across national borders," Sandvik said.

5Nordic countries in the planned deal — Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland
2023Finland joined NATO
2024Sweden joined NATO

Why the Nordics are stepping up

The move is the latest example of how the Nordic countries are stepping up their defence preparedness, spooked by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and uncertainty over the United States as NATO's ultimate security backstop, Reuters reported. All five have steeply increased their defence budgets and are now in the top league of defence spenders per capita in NATO.

Norway and Finland both share a land border with Russia, and all of the Nordics are strong backers of Ukraine in its war with Russia, Reuters noted. No timetable or final text for the common defence deal was announced in Thursday's statement; the countries said they will now work towards establishing it.

What happens next

The five governments must now turn Thursday's announcement into an actual deal, including the legal changes needed so troops and equipment can move smoothly across Nordic borders in a crisis. Awaaz Punjab will update this story when the terms or a timetable are announced.