That’s how S wants to build a Swedish-Finnish defense together

Same guns, same bullets, joint production and shared aircraft.

The Social Democrats want to build up Sweden’s and Finland’s defenses more tightly, and demand that the government act.

– We need more production lines when it comes to ammunition for Ukraine. It is low-hanging fruit, says Peter Hultqvist (S).

Sweden and Finland have long time plans on how we should fight wars together. We have trained together, entered NATO together and both signed DCA agreements with the US.

Now is the time to take another step, and build up our defense forces also at industrial level, believes Peter Hultqvist, the Social Democrats’ defense policy spokesperson.

– There are great advantages in the Swedish and Finnish defense industry pulling in the same direction as much as possible, he says.

Peter Hultqvist wants the Swedish government to sign a defense industrial agreement with Finland, and then go through area after area in search of synergy effects.

In addition to tracked vehicles, automatic carbines and armored all-terrain vehicles – which Sweden and Finland are already cooperating on – it could be a matter of joining forces around, for example, sensors, radars and ammunition.

He does not rule out that in the future Sweden and Finland jointly investigate their future materiel needs, and then buy the same things.

– If you look across the entire defense policy field, you will find opportunities.

Peter Hultqvist immediately wants Sweden and Finland to join forces on the airborne warning radar, which today only Sweden has. Three brand new planes of the Global Eye type have been ordered from Saab.

– The more systems you have harmonized with each other, the greater opportunities you have for cooperation regarding training, development and above all ammunition procurement, says Peter Hultqvist.

How Europe’s industries will quickly produce enough ammunition and weapons is one of the fateful questions of our time. It determines both whether Ukraine can defend itself against Russia, and whether NATO can deter or repel a Russian attack.

– If the Swedish and Finnish governments together give the signal that there needs to be more production, that is very strong, but it must also be linked to financial commitments.

The Finnish state has a large ownership in its defense industry, with a majority stake in the defense group Patria, which in turn owns, among other things, the ammunition manufacturer Nammo together with the Norwegian state.

On the contrary, the Swedish state has sold all its holdings in the defense groups Saab, Bofors and Hägglunds (where the latter are now part of the British BAE Systems).

S is pushing for the state to once again step in as a minority owner in Saab, but Peter Hultqvist believes that even without ownership it is possible to get a lot done.

– If the state is prepared to provide financial guarantees to set up, for example, production lines, then I believe that you have good conditions to succeed.