Finland's F/A-18 Hornets — which used to be the US Navy's standard fighter — are already compatible with NATO air forces. This puts several squadrons of stealth fighters on Russia's northern border, with the potential to penetrate and suppress Russian air defenses, and hit vital targets. "Both Finland's and Sweden's proximity allows NATO air forces to stage closer to the Baltics. Similarly, Sweden's Gotland island — located almost midway in the Baltic, about 60 miles from the Swedish mainland and 80 miles from the Baltic States — provides NATO with an advanced outpost. Their air forces are vital for this Nordic push, and will become very useful to further deter and defend the increasingly contested arctic space with Russia."

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Persons: Paul Cormarie, John Hoehn, Sweden's JAS, Finland's, Ian Valley, Hoehn, Cormarie, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, NATO, RAND, Corp, Modern, Institute, Business, Nordic, Gripen, UK's Royal Air Force, Finnish Air Force, US Army, —, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Ukraine, Finland, Sweden, West, Russia, Finnish, Swedish, France, Germany, Warsaw, Poland, Europe, Rovaniemi, US Army Sweden, Baltic States, Baltic, Norway, Norwegian, North, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Gotland, —, Pacific, United States, Taiwan, China, Forbes