On Friday, the defense committee’s final report will be presented to the public. SVT learns that they have not yet agreed on the big questions about how the money should be distributed.
– It is an important basis for future decisions, I think it is good if we can have a broad consensus, says Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M).
In an increasingly uncertain world, security policy experts are now saying that Sweden may have to spend three percent of GDP on defense, which the Center Party has already demanded. Ulf Kristersson is skeptical:
– No, we have a trajectory for the development of the Swedish Armed Forces, I do not rule out that additional resources will come, but we will take that in orderly forms.
Can you imagine borrowing money to expand the defense?
– We are not changing any such budget rules at the moment, we have shown in recent years that we can let defense grow in orderly forms, you must be clear that defense is not a yo-yo that can go up and down, but it takes a long time to grow, says Kristersson, who points out that Sweden has already doubled its defense budget in a short time.
“We will grow”
One branch of defense that has been singled out as being in great need of increased additions is the navy. The head of the navy has repeatedly warned that the size of the fleet is not enough. The background is that Sweden has 2,400 kilometers of coastline but only nine surface combat ships. At the same time, NATO membership places increased demands.
Ulf Kristersson does not want to promise any more ships to the navy:
– I don’t intend here and now to get involved in that distribution. I have every respect that the Navy thinks the Navy should be bigger and stronger. If you were to ask the air force and the army they would say the same thing and all three are also right, we must grow. Then it’s other people’s assessments of exactly how it should happen, and I shouldn’t have any ideas about that right now.