Sweden boosts military spending to counter Russian threats

Sweden is taking significant steps to enhance its military capabilities in response to rising threats, particularly from Russia.

Sweden has unveiled a defence bill that will increase military spending to 2.4 per cent of GDP next year, with further increases planned in subsequent years, as part of a strategy to counter the threat posed by Russia, Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

“The risk of an attack cannot be ruled out,” Jonson stated, emphasizing that “Russia is the primary threat to Sweden and a danger to the entire NATO alliance.” He acknowledged that while Russia’s ground forces are currently occupied in Ukraine, they remain willing to take significant military and political risks. The defence budget will see a 10 per cent rise next year as part of a broader long-term investment. This includes an additional 170 billion krona (15 billion euros) allocated for military spending, along with 35.7 billion krona for civil defense through 2030. 

As a result, Sweden’s defence budget is projected to reach 2.6 per cent of GDP by 2028, exceeding NATO’s minimum target of 2 per cent. This increased military and civil defence funding marks a return to a heightened state of preparedness reminiscent of the 1980s. Since joining NATO last year, Sweden aims to ensure its readiness in the face of potential conflicts, shifting from its previous neutral stance during the Cold War. “We had a robust civil defence during that era,” Jonson noted. 

“Since 2015, we’ve been revitalizing it, and this defence bill provides the necessary financial resources to make it credible.” The ultimate goal, he added, is to prepare Swedes for a “wartime situation.” Ensuring that Sweden, with its extensive 3,300-kilometer coastline and sparsely populated Arctic regions, does not become an “attractive target” for Moscow requires strengthening various sectors, including power and transport networks, healthcare, and financial systems, according to Defense Minister Pål Jonson. “Civil and military defence are two sides of the same coin,” he stated. 

On the military front, funding is being allocated for a range of enhancements, including armoured vehicles, a new coastal missile system, rocket artillery, three S106 Globaleye reconnaissance aircraft, Black Hawk HK16 utility helicopters, and the latest Saab-built Gripen 39E fighter jets. Additionally, five Visby-class corvettes will undergo upgrades, and the navy plans to acquire three Luleå-class surface combat vessels. 

By 2030, the number of annual conscripts is set to rise to 10,000, with the overall military size increasing by approximately 27,000 personnel, bringing the total to around 115,000. Four new brigades are expected to be operational by the same year. “There have been decades of underinvestment,” Jonson remarked, emphasizing that “the burden-sharing must be more balanced between America and Europe.”

By Naila Huseynova