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The US continues to work hard for a quick Swedish NATO entry before the summer.
That’s what US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin says during his visit to Sweden.
– I look forward to being able to call you an ally shortly, says Austin.
On Wednesday, Lloyd Austin was received by his Swedish counterpart Pål Jonson (M) at the Muskö naval base south of Stockholm.
– We look forward to continuing to strive towards a rapid Swedish entry into NATO. We will work hard to get it done before the summer. I see it as very important, says Austin during the meeting with Jonson.
Austin says that Sweden would add great value to NATO. He emphasizes that Sweden has a very professional military and that American and Swedish forces have practiced together and strengthened their interoperability.
At the Muskö base, Austin will be shown, among other things, submarines, corvettes and air combat forces. But talks are also pending about the bilateral defense cooperation, about security assurances that Sweden has received from the United States and the support for Ukraine.
The ongoing negotiations between Sweden and the United States concerning an agreement on a deepened defense cooperation (Defence Cooperation Agreement, DCA) must also be discussed. The agreement should enable faster and more efficient American support in the event of crisis and war, for example through advance storage of materiel and investments in infrastructure.
It has been over 20 years since an American defense minister was last in Sweden.
Facts
Muskö base
Muskö military base is located in Haninge municipality south of Stockholm and was inaugurated on September 30, 1969.
In the underground facility, as big as the Old Town, in addition to a number of dolls, there was also a workshop, offices, workshops, storerooms, hospital, kitchen and dining room.
In 2004, the government decided that the navy would only have one naval base, in Karlskrona, and therefore the base at Muskö began to be dismantled in 2005. But some activities still remained at the Muskö base.
In 2017, new decisions were made within the Armed Forces, which meant that the naval staff once again expanded its operations at Muskö. On the same day that the base turned 50, September 30, 2019, the new naval staff at Muskö was inaugurated.
Source: The Swedish Armed Forces
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