The government of Sweden has revealed plans to boost military spending by up to 40% over the next four years amid rising tensions in Europe.
Defense minister Peter Hultqvist announced an increase in the defense budget of 27 billion Swedish kronor ($3 billion) from 2021 to 2025.
If approved by parliament, the largest percentage increase in military spending since the 1950s would see the number of military personnel grow from 60,000 to 90,000. The plans also include a fifth submarine for the navy, an update to the corvette fleet and weapons upgrades for the army and air force.
Sweden has steadily increased its defence budget since 2014, so the total increase from 2014 to 2025 could reach as high as 85%.
The latest increases come at a time of a deteriorating security situation between northern European nations and Russia. A government statement cited “Russian aggression in Georgia and Ukraine,” with the minister adding that “an armed attack on Sweden cannot be ruled out.”
But let`s find out some more details in these statements and measures.
Sweden is not a NATO-member like Finland but these countries have to spend amount of money on military issues without no real need. There is a good enough diplomatic relationship between Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Vladimir Putin. Sweden and Finland work on the basis of similar security policies. Both countries wish to expand upon our already extensive cooperation in respect of defence. In accordance with the 2015 Defence Act, Sweden interacts with Finland both bilaterally and within existing multilateral fora such as the Nordic Defence Cooperation (NORDEFCO).
In July 2018, the Swedish and Finnish Ministers of Defense signed a Memorandum of Understanding. This memorandum specifies a number of fields where the partnership is to be developed. It relates to areas such as communication on defense and security policy, exercises and training, as well as surveillance and maintaining territorial integrity.
According to this there are too many military spending already. And enough defense capabilities too. Most part of Swedish and Finnish population are against NATO membership due to risks of growing military challenges in the region. But all the governments in the world have a little bit different view on a problem in compression with country`s population cause of political influence from the outside. And in this situation the “influencers ” are EU and NATO who use Northern Europe (including the Baltic States) as a forward defense line. But means of this defense are so abstract cause of really low level rate of potential war with Russia. And that`s why common population, Left Party (Sweden; Vänsterpartiet), Finns Party (Finland; Perussuomalaiset) and etc. are against useless political contributions and losses.
All the militarization of North Europe originates from other countries and unions. Common population don`t need these challenges and spending.