The Swedish Armed Forces and the Coast Guard already carry out 24/7 maritime surveillance. But now the authorities are tasked with drawing up an action plan to find more ways to cooperate.
Ulf Kristersson (M) describes the collaboration as “closer than what has existed before”.
– To be able to act more quickly on deviant behavior in the Baltic Sea, says the Prime Minister at the press conference.
In his previous speech at Folk och försvar, Kristersson said that Sweden and neighboring countries are exposed to “hybrid attacks that are carried out with computers, money, disinformation and threats of sabotage”.
Monitoring for suspected cable sabotage
The purpose of the mission is to become better at information sharing, to link the civil and military better and to use the authorities’ resources more efficiently.
– The security situation in the Baltic Sea region and in the mouth of the Baltic Sea has fundamentally changed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Potential hybrid operations by a foreign power cannot be ruled out and therefore the need for stronger maritime surveillance is important, says Defense Minister Pål Jonson (M).
The assignment must be reported to the Ministry of Defense in May 2025.
The announcement from the government comes after several cases of suspected sabotage targeting underwater cables were discovered in recent months.
Sweden participates in NATO operations in the Baltic Sea
At the same time, NATO is expected to launch a major maritime surveillance effort in the Baltic Sea in the coming days to monitor critical infrastructure on the seabed. The government announced at the press conference that Sweden will contribute three warships and a radar reconnaissance plane to the operation.
– These warships are placed under NATO’s command and with them they create better conditions for a maritime situation in the Baltic Sea. This is a large and important contribution from Sweden, says Pål Jonson.
– This is the first time that Sweden as an ally contributes an armed force to NATO’s deterrence and defense of our own immediate area, says Ulf Kristersson.