Sweden adopted a new military construction program for the period 2021-2025, providing a significant increase in the number and re-equipment of the armed forces. In particular, as noted by the Die Welt newspaper, the annual military expenses of the country will be increased by 40%, which is the highest level of military expenditures over the past 70 years, according to the Swedish Minister of Defense of Petaner Hultquist. Why Stockholm is such a large-scale strengthening of the army, the independent military observer Alexander Ermakov understood.
Euro-Atlantic "Total Defense"
The law "On Total Defense" was adopted by RiXdag on December 15, 41 votes against 3 and settled in detail the goals and means of the Armed Forces at the age of 2026-2030, respectively, should be adopted in 2025 on the basis of Estimates for the implementation of the current stage."Total defense 2021-25" provides for no significant largest relative growth in the Armed Forces of Sweden after World War II. It is not surprising that the reason (as in the law of the last five-year plan - although then the increase was more modest) is called the aggravation of relations between Russia and the West after the Ukrainian crisis.
However, this time the situation is somewhat more complicated: it is not about direct fear of the "Russian invasion", which, unlike the Baltov, the Swedes directly prefer not to write, but about the growth of foreign policy obligations of Sweden.
Although Stockholm formally continues to adhere to non-simulation policies in military blocks, the lion's share of the preamble is assigned to statements about the plans to strengthen solidarity and mutual execution in Northern Europe, in the EU as a whole and on the Atlantic direction (read - with the United States and NATO).
The most important platform for determining the security policy is called EU membership (and it is necessary to recall that the Lisbon contract, along with other, proclaims, although somewhat blurred, the principle of collective defense). Summing up, the motto of the current defense plan can be called the following formula (quote): "Sweden will not be passive if another state of Northern Europe or the EU member [1] will be subjected to a military attack or will be in an emergency situation, expects similar from them to its address And it should be able to provide military assistance or assistance in the emergency situation. "
For the latter, it is called as soon as possible to create a group of joint operational defense planning with Finland and coordinate planning with other partners, such as Denmark, Norway, United Kingdom, USA and NATO. In the spirit of time, it is not forgotten, of course, cybersecurity and information war for which it is planned to form a special state agency for 2022 (it is noteworthy that the Swedes use partly an obsolete term "psychological defense").
Army expansion plans
To fulfill the task of increasing the "foreign" role of the Armed Forces, their significant quantitative growth is planned. In the period until 2025, it is planned to form a third full-blooded mechanized brigade, another brigade of the abbreviated state, as well as strengthen the garrison of the Gotland Island (from 1992 to 2016. It did not have a permanent significant military presence). It is planned to begin work on the formation of the Organization of the Divisional level.
The fleet is called an essential defense tool from military attack and ensure the safety of territorial waters. In the first half of the decade, it is planned to increase the number of submarines from four to the ranks to five (due to the entry into force of the two new boats such as "Bleking"), to keep seven Corvettes in the system, to start the modernization of new ships like "Visby", in the second half of the decade to start purchasing New surface combat ships, first of all, to replace two outdated Corvettes like "Gothenburg". In addition, it is planned to deploy an additional amphibian battalion and strengthen the naval databases.
In aviation, the re-equipment program is important for the Swedes, associated with the beginning of the receipt of a new modification of the National Development Fighter - JAS-39E "Gripen". This "visiting card" of the Swedish defense was not lucky in world markets (unlike a sufficiently successful original) and conclude a contract only with Brazil. The situation can change the start of the system operation, however, to maintain the number of fighter squadrons, the machine of previous modifications will remain in service until the beginning of the 2030s., Although they previously wanted to write off in a shorter time. To maintain combat capability, it is planned to purchase modern weapons and funds of the radio electronic struggle, including in the second half of the 2020s., As well as the Aviation Winged Large Rales - Probably Swedish-German Taurus Kepd 350.
In total, it is planned to increase the number of personnel armed forces up to 90 thousand people from the current 60 thousand. The number of citizens undergoing basic military training should reach 8 thousand annually.
To ensure the foregoing, it is planned, despite the pandemic and the burden on the economy, to gradually increase by 2025. Defense spending up to € 8.9 billion, which gives one and a half growth compared to 2020 and two-time compared to 2015. Significant relative Rising expenses and civil defense (in many countries forgotten concept) with about € 100 million in 2021 to € 420 million in 2025, the numbers may not be impressed, but it is worth remembering that we are talking about a country with a population just over 10 million human.
Further exchange
The ambitious defense plans of Sweden reflect as a natural concern of a small country about the growth of tensions between Russia and NATO (in which it is impaired, it turns out to be geographically directly on the "front line") and the growing regional ambitions of Stockholm. The latter is well noticeable to actively promoting readiness to provide humanitarian and military support to partners.
It is important and allocating Finland as a special partner: In addition to calls, to form a general arrangement on defense in this document should not be noticed increasingly frequent, large and "dense" teachings of the military of these countries.
For example, during the teachings of March 2020, the Finnish ship operated under the management of the Swedish maritime command, and the Swedish, respectively, on the contrary, Finnish. A course is taken to maximize the integration of the armed forces and defense policies, in which Sweden will naturally play a dominant role.
Well, given that until 1809, Finland belonged to Sweden, it may well seem to be Swedish politicians with the restoration of the natural situation of things. For Russia, the activity of Sweden looks like a small, but obvious deterioration of the situation at a previously quite calm flank.
Alexander Ermakov, Independent Military Observer
[1] The cumbersome reservation about the "states of Northern Europe or EU members" is needed, obviously, first of all because of Norway, which in the EU is not included.