SWEDEN will allow North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops to be stationed in its territory even before it formally joins the world’s largest military alliance.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Defense Minister Pal Jonson have confirmed that the Swedish Armed Forces may undertake preparations with NATO member states to enable joint operations in the future.
Preparations may include temporary basing of foreign equipment and personnel on Swedish territory which could last several weeks, or even longer, according to Swedish officials.
The decision means NATO troops will be stationed in its territory temporarily even before Sweden’s formal accession to the world’s largest defense alliance.
The government plans to establish these temporary bases in areas of strategic importance such as in the Northern Province of Norrbotten or place air defense systems in the South.
The move is perceived as a clear signal to Russia and a boost for Swedish forces.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Sweden lessened its expenditure on arms and invested more money instead in hospitals, schools, and other services.
As the Defense Budget dropped, the strategic Baltic Sea Island of Gotland was demilitarized and conscription ended.
But Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 urged the military to endorse a spending plan, reopen military sites, and re-inaugurate its giant underground naval base in Southern Stockholm.
Meanwhile, the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 urged Sweden and Finland to drop decades of neutrality and formally send applications to join NATO.
Finland entered the alliance in April while Sweden hopes to become its 32nd member by the time of the NATO Summit in Lithuania this July.
