Nokia appointed Ari Kynaslahti as its first defense head.

Kynaslahti was promoted from his role as SVP and CTO for technology mobile networks at the Finnish giant, a position held for more than five years.

The Nokia veteran has spent more than 28 years at Nokia, having overseen various functions such as LTE, global radio sales, and 3G-centric wide-band code division multiple access (WCDMA).

Announcing his new position on Linkedin, Kynaslahti confirmed meetings to date with the U.S. Department of State, the European Union, as well as ambassadors from Baltic states such as Estonia, which face heightened security challenges in the wake of the Ukraine war.

With the new function, Nokia is expanding its defense footprint following last year's launch of Nokia Defense, a unit providing defense-grade solutions leveraging the U.S.-based Nokia Federal Solutions segment, with ambitions for expansion in the U.S., Finland, and other allied nations.

Nokia’s sizable defense portfolio has seen it work with NATO to help transition member states toward 4G and 5G to complement their existing wireless systems. The vendor has partnered with Motorola Solutions to develop tactical communications network solutions for defense agencies in the U.K, as well working with Telia and the Finnish Defense Forces on a 5G standalone (5G SA) slice handover between multiple countries in a live network.