When the last major decision on defense development was made in 2020, it meant the largest increase in the defense budget since the Cold War. But extraordinary events in recent years have meant that those ambitions will not be fulfilled. This is written by the defense committee, which includes all parties in the Riksdag.
– A number of factors are behind this: there is a major war going on in Europe which has also had macroeconomic consequences for prices and delivery times. We have also had a NATO decision and a pandemic, says Hans Wallmark (M), who is chairman of the defense committee.
Among other things, it is the goals of new regiments, acquisition of equipment and personnel that risk not being achieved. For example, the defense must grow to 90,000 employees by 2030, a goal that is limited by the personnel shortage, writes the defense committee.
“No big failure”
Both Wallmark (M) and Hanna Gunnarsson (V) say that the defense committee is in agreement. Hanna Gunnarsson shares Wallmark’s explanation and says that the war in Ukraine has taken resources and power from the calculated build-up of the defense – but that at the same time you need to realize that this is what happens.
– I don’t think we should see it as a very big failure that we didn’t get further. It is clear that we should have gone further, but we have also done other things along the way that have been important, says Gunnnarsson (V).
Want to advance the next defense decision
The conclusion of the report is that the next major decision for the direction of the defense, which is otherwise taken every five years, should be brought forward one year to 2024. A new direction for the entire total defense should be taken as soon as possible, the defense committee believes.
But what will then be decided, Hans Wallmark does not want to go into.
– That is what we will discuss in the coming year. We have been able to submit a unanimous report and that bodes well for the coming year, he says.