Is Sweden going to war? In Sweden, which has lived a war-free life for 200 years, the successive statements made in recent days have created panic. The call to ‘get ready for war’ from Swedish Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin and Chief of General Staff Micael Byden suddenly became a hot topic.
“WAR MAY OCCUR IN SWEDEN”
Swedish Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said, “There may be a war in Sweden” at a conference he attended on Sunday.
Then, Chief of General Staff Micael Byden called on all Swedes to be mentally ready for war.
The tone of these statements, made repeatedly by high-level officials, attracted the reaction of the Swedish opposition.
SECURITY SITUATION IS SERIOUS
Former prime minister Magdalena Andersson told Swedish television that although she acknowledged the security situation was serious, “the war is not right around the corner.”
Children’s rights association Bris also stated that they normally receive very few calls to call centers about the possibility of war, but after this week’s news and posts on TikTok, many “anxious” young people called them.
Bris spokesperson Maja Dahl said, “Obviously, this was a well-planned warning, it was not like it was just blurted out,” and pointed out that while making such statements for adults, how to explain the situation to children should also be considered.
Although the statements of the Minister of Civil Defense and the Chief of General Staff are very clear, these words are perceived as a “warning” in the country.
THE COUNTRY THAT HAS NOT SEEN WAR FOR 200 YEARS
Sweden, which has not seen a war for nearly two hundred years, is waiting for the approval of Türkiye and Hungary for NATO membership.
The Russia-Ukraine war, which caused Sweden’s NATO move, will complete its second year on February 24.
Chief of General Staff Byden says there is “nothing new” in his statements.
Byden had visited Ukraine’s eastern front a month earlier. Additionally, Sweden is among the countries that train Ukrainian pilots. Stockholm is also considering sending advanced Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine.
Speaking to Aftonbladet newspaper, Byden said, “My goal is not to worry people, but just to make more people think about their situation and their responsibilities.”
“IF THERE IS ONE THING THAT KEES MY SLEEPOUT AT NIGHT, IT IS…”
Civil Defense Minister Bohlin stated that he did not want to make people lose sleep, but aimed to increase their awareness of what could happen. The Minister also called on local administrations and emergency teams to prepare.
“If there’s one thing that keeps me up at night, it’s that the preparations are going so slowly,” Bohlin said.
Following the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, Finland also joined NATO, and Russian officials threatened that if tensions with NATO escalated, Finland would be “the first country to suffer the consequences.”
EYES ON TURKEY
Ankara, which announced that it would not approve Sweden’s NATO membership until Turkey fulfilled its conditions, gave the green light to Sweden’s membership before the NATO summit in July last year.
The accession protocol for Sweden’s membership in NATO was accepted by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Turkish Grand National Assembly in December. The protocol is expected to be discussed and voted on in the General Assembly of the Parliament, but it is not yet known when it will be discussed.
MILITARY EXPENDITURES INCREASE
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced that they will reach the military spending target set by NATO for its members in 2024, which is 2 percent of the gross domestic product. This is twice Sweden’s military spending in 2020.
Oscar Jonsson, a defense expert from the Swedish Defense University, thinks that the tone of the statements of senior officials is like “raising a storm in a glass of water” and that 90 percent of what is said stems from the discomfort caused by the slow pace of preparations in the field of civil and military defense.
“Time was limited and officials, responsible departments and individuals were wanted to ‘wake up’ with statements,” said Jonsson; “The Swedish army is very capable, but its scale is very small. The latest defense bill states that we need to establish 3.5 brigades. When the war started, Ukraine had 25 brigades.”
Jonsson adds that while war is possible, several factors would need to come together for it to happen: Russia’s war in Ukraine is over, its military has time to restructure and rearm, and Europe loses US military support.
However, according to Jonsson, it is “possible” that these three situations will come together.
