Sweden broke two centuries of military non-alignment to join NATO in the aftermath of Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which sparked alarm in Stockholm and Helsinki that Moscow could eventually threaten them. Finland joined NATO in 2023.
Presenting the inquiry results, Sweden’s Defence Minister Pål Jonson told a press conference on Monday that the Nordic country of 10.5 million people faced “serious times”.
“This means that we are now making very significant investments in the military defence,” Jonson told reporters.
In addition to investing in equipment already underway, Sweden also needed to make sure that enough military personnel would be available in a crisis.
The inquiry proposed raising the age that former military officers could be recalled to active duty from 47 to 70. It also suggested removing a limit on military deployment for former conscripts.
Currently, “deployment duty” remains for a maximum of 10 years after the most recent military service. The inquiry suggests removing the limit and placing those who didn’t serve for 10 years or more into the reserve force.
Jonson said the proposals would be sent out for review, hoping to present a bill to parliament early next year.
After the end of the Cold War, Sweden drastically slashed its defence spending as it focused its military efforts on international peacekeeping missions. The country reversed course following Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, and begun increasing military expenditure.
In 2017, the country reintroduced compulsory military service, seven years after abandoning it.
In March, the government announced it would increase defence spending by about €26.7 billion (around 300 billion SEK) over the next decade, aiming to increase spending to 3.5 percent of GDP by 2030.
(vib)