Last week, a historic defense agreement was signed between the US and Sweden. It gives the US access to scores of Swedish military bases, from north to south.
Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson (M) explains why the new collaboration is so important.
– This agreement creates better conditions for Sweden to receive support from the United States in the event of a crisis or war, because it regulates the legal conditions for the American presence in Sweden, says Jonson in Nyhetsmorgon.
A similar agreement already exists in Norway and both Denmark and Finland have recently completed negotiations on defense cooperation with the USA. The countries in the Nordic countries thus get the same conditions for American military presence.
“Stabilizing and War Deterrence”
The US gets access to a total of 17 bases in Sweden, which can be compared to four in Norway. The Minister of Defense does not believe that the agreement will provoke Russia to the extent that Swedish security deteriorates.
– Rather the opposite. The American military presence in Sweden and northern Europe is stabilizing and war deterrent and raises the threshold for us to be exposed to an armed attack, says Pål Jonson.
– It is also in line with the further development of the Swedish security policy that we see, that we have made the decision to apply for membership of NATO and that we should not defend Sweden ourselves, he continues.
Defense equipment in Sweden
The agreement means that “rotating units” must be in place in Sweden, which among other things means better conditions for military exercises. The US must also be able to store defense equipment on Swedish soil.
In the Norwegian-American defense agreement, it is stipulated that nuclear weapons shall not be placed in Norway. The same agreement is not found in Sweden’s agreement. However, that will not happen anyway, Jonson explains.
– We have presented this position which is very well known. This is based on Swedish sovereignty and Swedish consent, it is nothing that the USA can force in any way.
Military backbone
US military capability forms the backbone of NATO. It is therefore a very strong ally to have in a situation when Russia is trying to expand its borders, says the Minister of Defence.
– This is an expression that the US is deeply committed to our security and it is important when we find ourselves in the most serious security political environment since the end of the Second World War, due to Russia’s unprovoked, illegal attack on Ukraine, says Pål Jonson.
– The American military capability is so crucial for the security of all of Europe, in light of Russia taking great political and military risks, and the brutality that Russia is showing in Ukraine.