Naval News – Finland and Estonia have reached an agreement that will see their respective navies integrate their coastal defences so that they can be better coordinated and close the Gulf of Finland to enemy vessels.

– Defense News – Finland plans to increase its naval modernization budget in 2020 as part of a broad and ambitious effort to deepen its overall presence and surface capability in the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia.

– War Zone – Finnish authorities said it was all about money laundering, but the island’s strategic location, multiple docks, helipad, and more suggest otherwise.

– Defense News – The increasingly strategic value of the Baltic Sea as a potential theater of military conflict between Russia and NATO is triggering fresh steps by Finland to modernize its naval forces.

– War Zone – The four all-new ships will be uniquely suited to Finnish requirements in the confines of Baltic Sea amid growing threats from Russia.

– Defense News – The U.S. State Department has cleared a pair of first-time missile sales for Finland’s navy that could top $730 million in total.

– Reuters – The Finnish military fired on Tuesday handheld underwater depth charges as a warning against a suspected submarine in waters near Helsinki, an incident that comes amid growing military tensions with neighboring Russia.