Speaking to several hundred people Tuesday (Oct. 7) at the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce annual banquet, Finland Ambassador Leena-Kaisa Mikkola dropped a bit of holiday humor into a speech about serious international realities.
“The one and only Santa Claus comes from Finland. These are very important issues for all of us to know,” Mikkola said with a grin.
Mikkola was named Finland’s ambassador to the United States in September 2024. Prior to that she was Finland’s ambassador to the People’s Republic of China from 2021 to 2024. The ambassador joined Finland’s foreign ministry in 1992. Her work has included Middle Eastern and African affairs, and she served as ambassador to Israel between 2011 and 2016. She also worked at the diplomatic missions in Brussels, Canberra, Athens and Budapest.
Brig. Gen. Chad Bridges, Arkansas’ adjutant general, said during his introduction of the ambassador that she is a highly-respected “career diplomat” who has represented Finland in key countries.
“Those countries are not insignificant countries. Those postings are not insignificant,” Bridges said.
Mikkola, who noted that she has relatives in Minnesota, described relations between Finland and the U.S. as “dynamic and lively,” with the U.S. being one of the most important trading partners outside of the European Union.
She said the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 “fundamentally changed” Finland’s and Europe’s “security landscape.” Finland moved to develop security alliances and in April 2023 joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which was formed in 1949 as a counter to what were then real and perceived threats from the Soviet Union.
She said Finland’s NATO membership and subsequent bilateral security and training agreements with the U.S. are part of the path that resulted in some of Finland’s F-35 fighter pilots being trained at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith. The pilots, families and support personnel are set to arrive in Fort Smith in 2026.
“There will be a new Finnish community here,” Mikkola said. “This marks a major milestone, not just in defense cooperation, but also in people-to-people connections that build lasting trust and friendships.”
Ebbing was selected in March 2023 by the U.S. Air Force to be the long-term pilot training center supporting F-16 and F-35 fighter planes purchased by Singapore, Switzerland, Poland, Germany, Finland, and other countries participating in the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Ebbing is co-located with the Fort Smith Regional Airport. Polish planes and pilots have been training at Ebbing since late 2024.
Finland is expected to have eight F-35 jets — with pilots, crews and families — at Ebbing by the end of 2026. According to published reports, Finland agreed to buy 64 F-35 jets in a deal valued in 2022 at $9.4 billion, with the jets delivered no later than 2030. The jets are manufactured by Lockheed Martin in the aerospace company’s Fort Worth, Texas, plant.
Mikkola, who also noted that her grandfather’s brother was one of the first military pilots in Finland, said the F-35 program is important because by 2030 the fifth-generation fighter platform will be the primary frontline fighter in the European Union, with around 700 planes expected to be active by that date.
She told the chamber’s business crowd that people from Finland are friendly but literal people who “are not good at small talk.” She said most people from Finland like the outdoors, an afternoon coffee, and weekly saunas. But more importantly, she added, Finland is ready to be part of the Arkansas and Fort Smith communities.
“We are very grateful to be here, and we are looking forward to deepening our cooperation and friendship between Finland and Arkansas,” Mikkola said. “At the same time, on a serious note, we can’t forget that the pilots and their families come here … and are dedicated to defend our country, Finland, and NATO; to defend our independence, our democracy, and our freedoms. This dedication is even more important than before in today’s unstable international environment and when there is a war of aggression going on in Europe.”