It doesn't bring additional strength to the table, rather it's a country in need of protection. This means now every other NATO country has a higher chance of being forced in a defensive war if something happens to Finland. On the other hand Finland won't be able to contribute much to protect other NATO countries. Hence, NATO countries are a bit less safe now.
> It doesn't bring additional strength to the table
Strong disagree. With Finland, NATO's control of the Baltic sea is insurmountable. Together with Turkey's control on the Black Sea, this completely cripples any Russian maritime capabilities.
> rather it's a country in need of protection
Also unlikely. The geography of the Finish border is such that an invasion via land is incredibly difficult. Dense forest and mountainous terrain create many easily defended bottlenecks, and the Finns with their outsized artillery are in a perfect position to defend those.
Even without NATO protection, the Finish gave the Russians a very bloody nose the last time they tried to invade. Since then, the Finish military has been re-structured with the single purpose to defend against another Russian invasion, whereas the Russian military is constrained by many other factors. Any Russian advance against the EU now has to come via the Ukrainian and Polish plains.
Why is that?