Finland and the United States signs a bilateral defense cooperation pact

The deal was signed in Helsinki on Friday by the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert O. Work and the Finnish Defense Minister Jussi Niinisto. 

While Washington and Helsinki already closely cooperate through joint military drills on air, land and sea, the non-legally binding pact seeks to deepen the ties through information exchange, joint research and development in areas like cyberdefense and training among other things. 

The pact covers cooperation in ship building, nuclear defense and developing technologies for the Arctic - an area of increasing interest for both nations. 

In the three-page declaration, the U.S. and Finnish defense ministries jointly state that

"the U.S. presence in and around the Baltic Sea undergirds stability in the region, and creates opportunities to increase defense cooperation between our countries." 

http://www.militarytimes.com/articles/more-than-6-000-guard-troops-mobilize-for-hurricane-matthew-response