In March 2024, Sweden ended 200 years of military neutrality when it joined the NATO alliance. But in what ways does this Nordic country add to NATO’s strength? Hint: there are many!
Synopsis
In March 2024, Sweden ended over 200 years of neutrality when it joined the NATO alliance, a decision driven by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the growing security threats in Europe.
As the nation with the longest Baltic Sea coastline and strategic proximity to the Arctic, Sweden’s geography alone makes it a key contributor to Euro-Atlantic security. But its contributions go beyond location. With a highly advanced military, a strong defence industry and a history of cooperation with NATO forces, Sweden brings valuable knowledge, innovation and experience to the Alliance. So, how exactly does this Nordic nation of 10.5 million people add to NATO’s strength?
Transcript
TRANSCRIPT (AUDIO AND TEXT ON SCREEN)
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)—
Major Christoffer Blohm – 2IC, 5th Amphibious Battalion, Swedish Navy
“Right now, in this area, this is my office, this is my home ground. And it’s well worth defending.”
--VOICEOVER—
For more than two centuries, Sweden kept a position of military neutrality. But in 2024, that changed.
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Pål Jonson, Minister of Defence of Sweden
“I always call that ‘the mother of all unintended consequences’ for Russian strategic thinking. If Russia had one objective with Sweden and Finland, it was to keep them outside of the Alliance and by Russia’s full-scale invasion, now we are part of NATO.”
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But what does this Nordic nation, home to 10.5 million people, bring to the NATO alliance?
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General Michael Claesson, Chief of Defence of Sweden
“We do not come empty-handed. We do bring a lot of humility as a new Ally but we also bring a lot of capability, so we definitely want to see ourselves as a net provider of security.”
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SWEDEN’S
IMPACT ON NATO
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In March 2024, Sweden saw its flag raised above NATO Headquarters in Brussels, becoming the 32nd member of the NATO alliance.
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PÅL JONSON
Minister of Defence of Sweden
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Pål Jonson, Minister of Defence of Sweden
“It’s good now that Sweden has a seat at the table. That provides us a better opportunity to have influence but also take responsibility for the Alliance.”
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Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the turning point for a country that would otherwise have stayed militarily neutral as it had done for the past 200 years.
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Pål Jonson, Minister of Defence of Sweden
“Supporting Ukraine is both the right thing to do and it’s the smart thing to do. Of course, this is about decency and it’s about humanity and standing up for the Ukrainian people, but it is also upholding principles which are crucial for a smaller country like Sweden. Rule of law, the European security order and the rules-based international order.”
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As the nation with the longest coastline on the Baltic Sea, a key strategic waterway connecting Northern and Eastern Europe, and with its proximity to the Arctic, Sweden’s position in Europe is key to Euro-Atlantic security.
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GEN MICHAEL CLAESSON
Chief of Defence of Sweden
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General Michael Claesson, Chief of Defence of Sweden
“Leaning on the many, many years of close partnership with NATO, we have embraced a lot of the methodology that comes with standardisation and building interoperability. We can now plan and work together, not as a unique entity but as an integral part of NATO.”
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As a militarily neutral nation, over the years Sweden manufactured its own military hardware, which was adapted to meet the challenges of the country’s unique terrain and climate.
Today, Sweden continues to produce advanced equipment, including submarines, combat vehicles and the Gripen fighter jet. But arguably its most groundbreaking achievement is the Visby-class corvette.
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LCDR CHRISTOFFER FOHLIN
Commanding Officer, HSwMS Karlstad
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Lieutenant Commander Christoffer Fohlin, Commanding Officer, HSwMS Karlstad
“It’s a multitasking ship. We can use it for submarine hunting and we can use it for air defence and also for the surface operations.”
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The Visby-class corvette is a stealth ship. Its design helps it avoid detection by radar and other sensors, making it very hard to spot. And its ability to navigate through shallow waters makes it ideal for Baltic Sea operations.
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Lieutenant Commander Christoffer Fohlin, Commanding Officer, HSwMS Karlstad
“Our profession is to use this ship in an attack from the archipelago in the Baltic Sea. That’s what this ship is built for. We are very familiar with the environment in this region and this ship is built for the environment around here.”
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Sweden, with over 250,000 islands, among the most of any country in the world, relies on its navy to protect its vast coastline and archipelagos.
A key component is the Amphibious Corps, which specialises in coastal defence.
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MAJ CHRISTOFFER BLOHM
2IC, 5th Amphibious Battalion, Swedish Navy
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Major Christoffer Blohm – 2IC, 5th Amphibious Battalion, Swedish Navy
“Since the Swedish coastline is very different, thousands of islands, from small ones to big ones, with trees, without trees, the system that, and the capabilities that the amphibious battalions hold, it’s also unique in the world, I would say. We bring our own sustainability, we live and work from our boats that are designed to operate in these conditions.”
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Operating from the domestically designed and built Combat Boat 90, the Amphibious Corps have been active in these archipelagos for centuries and know the region better than anyone.
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Major Christoffer Blohm – 2IC, 5th Amphibious Battalion, Swedish Navy
“Our main operation area is where the sea meets the land. Either it’s an open coast, archipelago. We are designed to work on the water, below the surface, on land and in the air around the Swedish coastline.”
--VOICEOVER--
Among Sweden’s many islands, the most strategically important is Gotland. Sometimes referred to as the Baltic Sea’s 'unsinkable aircraft carrier,' its location, roughly halfway between mainland Sweden and the Baltic States, is crucial for controlling military and economic movements and deterring threats to NATO territory. The Gotland Regiment plays a key role in safeguarding the island's security.
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COL DAN RASMUSSEN
Commander, Gotland Regiment
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Colonel Dan Rasmussen, Commander, Gotland Regiment
“So the symbol for the Battlegroup Gotland and the Gotland Regiment is the ram. The ram symbolises strength and the will to survive in harsh conditions on an island in the middle of the Baltic Sea.”
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NATO forces have long trained and exercised on Gotland, but Sweden’s NATO membership now means that the island could become a hub for NATO operations and for monitoring Baltic Sea activity.
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Colonel Dan Rasmussen, Commander, Gotland Regiment
“Coming into NATO gives opportunities to use Gotland as a hub for maritime operations, for logistics and also different kinds of weapons systems which could provide aid, for instance, to the Baltic States. So, it could be a platform for long-range fires as well.”
--VOICEOVER—
Patrolling Sweden’s 3,200 kilometres of coastline from the sea is crucial, but protecting it from the air is just as important. Sweden’s Air Force includes its powerful Gripen jets, which are known for their agility, range, and ability to operate in various conditions.
GRAPHIC
MAJ GEN JONAS WIKMAN
Commander of the Swedish Air Force
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Major General Jonas Wikman, Commander of the Swedish Air Force
“So we always have at least two aircraft in constant readiness for air policing missions or to identify, collect information, or to intercept an aircraft coming too close to NATO territory.”
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With a fleet of more than 200 aircraft, advanced radar systems, and a unique concept of air operations, which includes the use of civilian infrastructure such as highways for jet take-offs and landings if the need arises, Sweden’s Air Force adds both capability and innovation to NATO’s air defence.
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)—
Major General Jonas Wikman, Commander of the Swedish Air Force
“Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO means a lot when it comes to geography. We can bring our situational awareness, our early-warning concepts and overall our knowledge of the situation in our region and combine that with the other NATO Allies, which will really, really strengthen our situational awareness in the High North.”
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The High North is a harsh and unforgiving environment, where operating effectively in extreme climates and rugged terrain demands specialised units.
Located in the north of Sweden, the Swedish Army’s Norrbotten Brigade is specifically trained in cold-weather and Arctic warfare.
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COL DANIEL RYDBERG
Commander, Norrbotten Brigade
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Colonel Daniel Rydberg, Commander, Norrbotten Brigade
“During wintertimes, we have almost no light, few roads and long distances and often also at wintertime we have the extreme cold going below -30 degrees Celsius. So that’s the challenge. And we really need to have the right equipment and of course bring the unit together, exercising, training in this environment.”
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The Norrbotten Brigade is equipped with tanks and combat vehicles specially designed and modified for Arctic operations.
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PVT ALEXANDER HARVEY
1st Mechanized Infantry Company, Norrbotten Brigade
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Private Alexander Harvey, 1st Mechanized Infantry Company, Norrbotten Brigade
“We are in the training field. We have just dismounted from a CV90 combat vehicle and my squad is taking terrain in a forward direction.”
--VOICEOVER--
With a personnel of 1,500, the Brigade includes full-time soldiers, reservists and conscripts, all bringing a diverse mix of skills and backgrounds from across Sweden, and sometimes even beyond.
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Private Alexander Harvey, 1st Mechanized Infantry Company, Norrbotten Brigade
“I’m from Paisley, Glasgow, in Scotland. I moved to Sweden when I was young, when I was six years old and I’ve grown up here so Sweden has become my home. And it makes sense to defend it.
“Joining NATO, for me as an individual, it means that I get to help not only defend what has become my home country here in Sweden, but the country where I’m from as well, which is the United Kingdom. So I’ve learned a lot of things and I’ve realised that if you have the right people beside you, you can do pretty much anything.”
--VOICEOVER—
But Sweden’s contributions to Euro-Atlantic security go beyond air, land and sea.
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Charlotta Sund, CEO and President, Swedish Space Corporation
“Space is something that we utilise daily, for communication, for weather forecasts, for surveillance, a wide range of different areas where we actually are very dependent on space.”
--VOICEOVER—
Esrange Space Center, located in northern Sweden, is a leading European space facility operated by the Swedish Space Corporation. It supports satellite operations, rocket launches and atmospheric research making it a key asset for space and defence initiatives.
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Lennart Poromaa, Head of Esrange Space Center
“Please follow me.”
“In Sweden but I think also other countries in Europe have learned now, with what is happening in Ukraine, you need to have space assets that can see actually what is going on and what is the plan and be prepared.
The terrestrial network is shut down immediately when a war breaks out. What can you do with space assets? You can have communication, you can do a lot of things with that. And you see also what we are doing with drones and with unmanned vehicles today, it’s that they’re controlled by space assets, so that is important.”
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)—
Charlotta Sund, CEO and President, Swedish Space Corporation
“If we see a war situation where actually the mobile networks, they are not working, then we would be much more dependent on satellite communication and we need to be ready for that situation. What is key also, is that you have the capability to send off a satellite from different places around the globe. We are based out of Europe and this is the only facility that has these capabilities.”
--VOICEOVER—
Sweden’s path to NATO was not one that was taken lightly. But with a war on Europe’s doorstep, and an existential threat to its borders, the Nordic nation ultimately decided it was safer within the Alliance than standing alone.
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)—
Lieutenant General Michael Claesson, Chief of Defence of Sweden
“The strength that 32 Allies bring together, both in terms of deterrence and of course also the operational capabilities to take up the fight if necessary, is absolutely convincing.”
--VOICEOVER—
As a NATO member, Sweden’s contribution to collective Euro-Atlantic security in terms of experience, equipment and personnel, as well as its geographic location at the heart of Europe’s north, means that in both the Baltic and the Arctic regions, NATO is better equipped to protect its populations against any external threat.
--SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH)—
Pål Jonson, Minister of Defence of Sweden
“We have to understand that we are an Ally, and as an Ally you share blood and your solidarity and by our accession into the Alliance, we are safer but NATO is also stronger and that makes me proud as a Swede.”
END
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