This week, the authority Inspectorate for Strategic Products reported an account of the Swedish export of military equipment in 2023. The report lists the countries that bought or were allowed to buy weapons from Sweden in the future and for what sums.
In 2023, 797 permits relating to the export of military equipment were granted. Two of these permits stand out – they account for 40 percent of the 28 billion and go to a secret country.
– We received an indication that they did not want it to be known who the buyer in the deal was, says David Åhlén, head of the military equipment unit at ISP.
Transparency is weighed against other considerations
The country in question is named by the Inspectorate for Strategic Products, ISP as a “state receiver in an established partner country in the Western world”. If you compare it to the 56 other actors that have received permission to buy weapons, it is not possible to distinguish any specific country in the Western world that is missing. The ISP also does not want to comment on whether the receiving country is mentioned in other permits or if it is only the two specific permits that are anonymized.
– The transparency regarding Swedish munitions exports is very large if you compare internationally and the reporting is quite comprehensive, it has long been a request from the government. But it needs to be weighed against other considerations, says David Åhlén.
He believes that disclosing the information could damage Sweden’s relations with the country and is therefore covered by foreign secrecy.
ISP: “Quite a large sum”
Exactly what the export permits contain is not entirely clear, but it is reported within which material areas it applies.
Among other things, the ML5 is covered, which includes bombs, torpedoes, rockets and missiles. ML1 is also included, which includes “smoothbore weapons with a caliber of at least 20 mm”. Fire control, monitoring and warning equipment is also included in the permit.
In total, the permit covers sales of 11.7 billion, which may be exported out of Sweden for a couple of years. In 2023, Sweden exported around SEK 18 billion.
– It is quite a large sum, but you can also assume that the deliveries will be spread out over a longer period of time, says David Åhlén.
Swedish Peace: “Never seen it before”
Svenska Freds, which annually reviews the report, says that they have never seen anything like it before. When this year’s report became public, the decision not to name all buyers was criticized.
– For twelve years I have reviewed these documents and I have never seen people do this before. It is remarkable that it is happening and that it is such a big deal, says Linda Åkerström, Swedish Peace’s policy manager and expert on arms export issues.
She reacts strongly to the sum, which accounts for over 40 percent of the approved permits in 2023. Linda Åkerman believes that it must be about some larger system to be sold. She also believes that it is difficult to review arms exports, even in Sweden where there is greater transparency than in many other countries.
– I am concerned about what this means in the future, even if the ISP highlights that they are transparent, this is a step in the wrong direction, says Linda Åkerström.