According to Defense Minister Pål Jonson (M), Sweden must support Ukraine with artillery ammunition and at the same time build up its own stockpiles.
– It is a difficult situation.
Work is currently underway to draw up an agreement that will secure access to the necessary ammunition for the Swedish part.
According to the manufacturer Nammo, with factories in Sweden, the delivery times for getting ammunition are up to six years right now. Finland and Norway have special agreements that give gender priority in certain areas.
Are there plans for something similar for Sweden?
– I think there are reasons to look further into that model. You must ensure that you have ammunition in peace, crisis and war.
Invest in factories
In addition to building up its inventory, Sweden needs to be able to buy new grenades in the event of a conflict. According to Pål Jonson, it is important that the ammunition factories in the Nordics increase their capacity.
Ammunition manufacturer Nammo says it cannot increase further without major investment from outside. How do you see it?
– There is money for this within the EU. They are looking for EU funds and then we are expected to make a partial investment.
The Defense Materiel Administration, which handles the negotiations, writes in an email to SVT that “intensive work is underway to increase the production capacity and availability of artillery ammunition in Sweden and the Nordic countries.”
Details on this will be forthcoming.
Can Sweden afford it?
According to the industry, it could be over SEK 30 billion for a month’s consumption of artillery ammunition. Can Sweden afford what we need?
– The armed forces never say how much ammunition they shoot, but I think that number is very high. The Archer system is not a shotgun but a sniper rifle.
But it still costs a lot of ammunition if there is a war. Can we afford to fill the warehouses?
– Exactly how much we need is up to the armed forces to assess, but in an international comparison we have increased the defense budget quickly between 2020 and 2024, that creates a space.