At the beginning of the 2000s, Gotland was briefly without military forces. Now the garrison has been reopened and Sweden is increasing its military presence.
GOTLAND In Gotland, everyone says that the early 2000s, when the island had no military forces at all, was a historical exception.
The island’s strategic defense importance was well known during the Cold War, and it is well known now.
When Sweden talks about the country’s NATO membership, Gotland is always mentioned.
The army is felt in everyday life
The people of Gotland notice a change in their everyday life. To the south of Visby, the village of Tofta is famous for its long sandy beach and the fishing village of Gnisvärd.
– You can hear the exercises, there is an explosion in Tofta’s training area. Yes, the situation has changed: from a small safe place to a more restless place, he describes Mia Rosvall.
The Tofta shooting range was opened in 2008.
Also Thomas Lerberg notice the changes in your everyday life.
– Construction is going on everywhere and there will be restrictions. A lot of money is now being pumped into the defense of the island.
Joachim Malmqvist has lived all his life in Gnisvärdi and nowadays partly in Stockholm. For example, the zoning has changed for him and obtaining building permits has become more difficult.
– It feels as if we have returned to the days of the Cold War, it feels a bit like that. But Gotland is used to that. There was a period of freedom for some years, and now we are back to the way things were.
Gotland like an aircraft carrier
Chief of the General Staff Michael Claesson will be interviewed at the Visby dock, because only Swedish citizens are counted on the mighty submarine rescue and maintenance ship Belok.
Claesson admits that whenever we talk about Sweden’s NATO membership, we also talk about Gotland. He makes a descriptive comparison.
– Gotland is like an unsinkable aircraft carrier in the middle of the Baltic Sea.
– It is a geographical support point for the defense of the Baltic and Northern Poland and of course for Sweden and Finland. It is an operational and military strategic hub. That’s why Gotland is so important today and historically.
Along with Gotland, Claesson also mentions Åland, now that the Arctic regions are pulling NATO’s focus north.
Gotland protects Finnish freight transport
The importance of Gotland to Finland is no stranger to the new conscripts, who started in the Gotland garrison a couple of weeks ago.
Colonel Magnus Frykvall started as head of the Gotland garrison at the same time as Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Frykvall underlines the importance of the freight routes running on the east and west sides of Gotland.
– 90 percent of Finland’s imports pass very close to Gotland. It is difficult to transfer such transport volumes to travel through Sweden or elsewhere in Europe, for example. It’s impossible.
The Russian threat is felt in Gotland
The presence of the Swedish Defense Forces in Gotland reflects Russia’s actions like a mirror.
In 2004, the threat was felt to be so non-existent that Sweden decided to end its military presence in Gotland. The last conscripts left in 2005.
Russia’s invasion of Georgia in 2008 and the annexation of Crimea in 2014 prompted the defense forces to rethink, and the presence has been increased since 2013.
Now a new garrison and the Tofta shooting range have been built on the island.
Last year, the government granted another 135 million euros in new construction money.
According to Frykvall, according to current plans, Gotland’s wartime strength will be around 4,000 soldiers in the future. It is a far cry from the Cold War years. Even in the 1990s, the number was over 20,000.
The topic can be discussed until 23:00 on July 4, 2023.