Britain would help Sweden militarily if it was attacked: UK defence minister
Sweden can count on help from the UK if we are attacked by Russia, Britain's defence secretary, Ben Wallace, has said.https://www.thelocal.se/20220304/britain-promises-military-assistance-if-sweden-is-attacked/
The UK would definitely help Sweden if Russia were to mount an attack, British defence secretary Ben Wallace said at a joint press conference in Copenhagen, alongside Sweden’s defence minister, Peter Hultqvist, and Denmark’s defence minister Morten Bødskov.
“Sweden is part of the same family. We would stand beside Sweden and do everything we can to help, both militarily and in other ways,” Wallace said. Hultqvist welcomed the British assurances, which he said he had been given previously in informal discussions between the ministers. He said he was “pleased” that Wallace was now making the same statement in public. “This is a statement from the UK which we are pleased to hear,” he said.
“For the last eight years, Sweden has increased its military capacity substantially. We have an investment programme with an 80 percent increase between 2014-2025 and are now negotiating further measures,” he told the TT newswire. “Sweden has made at least 20 agreements with other countries, including the UK and the USA, and a partnership with Nato.
“We are developing and deepening our partnership with Nato. We have tried to piece together parts of a security jigsaw in our part of Europe together with others, and if someone in our vicinity is attacked, we will all be affected.” The countries’ defence ministers had met in Copenhagen in connection with a pre-planned training exercise as part of the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF).
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= new reply since forum marked as read
are a part of the Nato Response force, as well as being part of:
Press release from Ministry of Defence
Sweden takes part in Joint Expeditionary Force exercise
https://www.government.se/press-releases/2022/03/sweden-takes-part-in-joint-expeditionary-force-exercise/
UK Joint Expeditionary Force
The UK Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) is a United Kingdom-led expeditionary force which may consist of, as necessary, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway.
Finland, Sweden to receive enhanced access to NATO intel over Ukraine
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine extends Moscow’s military power to the borders of several NATO members, NATO partners Finland and Sweden can be part of an intensified exchange of information and NATO’s strategic communication.
https://www.euractiv.com/section/defence-and-security/news/finland-sweden-to-receive-enhanced-access-to-nato-intel-over-ukraine/
“Sweden and Finland may, if they so wish on a case-by-case basis, participate in enhanced contacts with NATO, enhanced information exchange and coordination, information on operations and strategic communications,” Finnish President Sauli Niinistö confirmed to reporters after a virtual NATO summit on Friday (26 February). NATO partners Finland, Sweden and the EU were also invited to participate.
“It is not in itself something revolutionary, but it should be noted that all countries see this as the right arrangement,” Niinistö said, adding this would not equal the possibility of Finland joining NATO. In practice, this means that the two countries could participate in enhanced intelligence-sharing and strategic communications on a case-by-case basis.
Based on the arrangement, Finland could, for example, request confidential information from NATO or vice versa, while the respective holder of the information would decide whether to provide the information. According to diplomatic sources, NATO leaders on Friday discussed the special role of both since “they need to be fully informed because of their strategic position for Russia”.
Finland and Sweden are two of six countries known as ‘enhanced partners’, largely due to their contributions to NATO operations. As such, they have options when it comes to cooperation. In recent months, NATO has stepped up cooperation focusing on security in the Baltic Sea region, which includes political consultations, exchanges of information on hybrid warfare, and joint exercises.
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these are some of the military/defence groups we (Sweden, plus Finland) are in
There seems to be a vast misunderstanding here by some who think Finland and Sweden are all alone, twisting in the wind, simply because we are not full NATO members. I can assure all that that is not the case, AND we both cooperate deeply with NATO already.
Nordic Defence Cooperation
Nordic Battlegroup
National participation in the principal European and trans-Atlantic defence arrangements
NATO Relations with Sweden
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_52535.htm
NATO and Sweden share common values, conduct an open and regular political dialogue and engage in a wide range of practical cooperation. NATO and Sweden actively cooperate in peace-support operations, exercise together and exchange analysis and information. An important priority is to ensure interoperable capabilities, maintaining the ability of the Swedish Armed Forces to work with those of NATO and other partner countries in multinational peace-support operations.
Sweden to join NATO Response Force and exercise Steadfast Jazz
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/news_104086.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_NATO#Sweden
In 1949 Sweden chose not to join NATO and declared a security policy aiming for non-alignment in peace and neutrality in war. A modified version now qualifies non-alignment in peace for possible neutrality in war. As such, the Swedish government decided not to participate in the membership of NATO because they wanted to remain neutral in a potential war. This position was maintained without much discussion during the Cold War.
Since the 1990s however there has been an active debate in Sweden on the question of NATO membership in the post–Cold War world. Sweden joined Partnership for Peace in 1994. These ideological divides were visible again in November 2006 when Sweden could either buy two new transport planes or join NATO's plane pool, and in December 2006, when Sweden was invited to join the NATO Response Force. While the governing parties in Sweden have opposed membership, they have participated in NATO-led missions in Bosnia (IFOR and SFOR), Kosovo (KFOR), Afghanistan (ISAF) and Libya (Operation Unified Protector).
The Swedish left wing, including the Social Democratic party, the Green party and the Left party have remained in favour of non-alignment, along with the nationalist Sweden Democrats. The right wing, including the Moderate Party, the Centre party, the conservative Christian Democrats, the Liberal party make up the Swedish parties with representation in the parliament today that are in favour of NATO membership. Former prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt stated on 18 September 2007 that Swedish membership in NATO would require a "very wide" majority in Parliament, including the social democrats, and coordination with Finland.
Sweden signed in 2014, and ratified in 2016, a host country agreement with NATO allowing for NATO forces to conduct joint training exercises on Swedish soil and for NATO member states' forces to be deployed in Sweden in response to threats to Sweden's national security. In October 2014, an opinion poll found for the first time more Swedes in favour of NATO membership (37%) than opposed (36%).
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