Once protected by hundreds of thousands of conscripted units and armed with an ingenious mobile force, Sweden’s defence capabilities began to decline during the late 1980s. Now, the nation faces an immense dilemma: a weak army incapable of defending its homeland.
Just before the Second World War began, the PM at the time Per Albin Hansson told the public that, “Sweden’s preparedness is good.” This was a lie; Sweden’s military had been greatly reduced since the 1920s. All of the army’s technology was outdated and there were simply not enough soldiers. Sweden declared neutrality, allowing Germany to use their railways.
By becoming neutral and giving Germany access to their railroads, the Germans had a route to Norway that permitted the movement of soldiers and weaponry. As a result of this, Sweden was spared the German occupation that Denmark and Norway experienced. Despite being neutral, the Swedish military did strengthen during WWII.
Part of Sweden’s defence was a spectacularly devised system called “mobilization repositories”. Coupled with the draft that made military service for all young men mandatory, Sweden had the ability to bring much of its military into service within hours. Over 6,000 of these repositories were hidden in the woods, consisting of arms and equipment caches. Drills were consistently conducted in order to keep the nation ready for defence on short notice.
“The potential was huge if you went full throttle, which we never did,” Wilhelm Agrell, Swedish military historian.
Sweden’s strong defences began to diminish once the mid-1980s came around. Supporting such a powerful force was not cheap, and changing attitudes among the top officials prompted them to suggest cuts. The Cold War had ended, the Soviet Union had collapsed and the Berlin wall had been removed. It seemed as though Sweden no longer had a purpose for its military.
Throughout the nineties and early 2000s, the Swedish Army was subjected to a series of cuts that saw its combat capabilities reduced to 6% of its strength in the 80s. Air and naval forces also dwindled; by 2004, only 100 planes were ready to go and a mere seven vessels and four submarines remained functional. In 2008, Russia invaded Georgia, resulting in a war that lasted less than a week.
Russia’s invasion of Georgia was completely unseen, and Swedish military personnel and politicians were in trouble.
“The consensus had been that no state in Europe would ever attack another state. But someone just had, and it wasn’t just anybody. It was Russia. It was not supposed to happen, but it had. Suddenly Swedish politicians understood that we need to have some kind of ability to defend ourselves, if we against all odds were to be threatened again.”
National service was abolished in 2010 in favour of voluntary professional armed forces, as Sweden could not order its conscripts to participate in Afghanistan’s conflicts. One year later, Russia resumed the Cold War practice of flying military aircraft uncomfortably close to Sweden’s airspace, and Russian submarines were sighted in their waters.
“We can defend ourselves against an attack against a localized target. We’re talking about a week on our own,” Sverker Göransson, the Swedish military’s Supreme Commander, made this statement in 2013.
Russia went so far as to make a joke out of Sweden’s incredibly poor military strength.
Gotland is an island belonging to Swedish sovereignty that is of great strategic importance, but is also very undermanned. Located in the Baltic Sea, Russia could capture the island with ease and there isn’t a thing Sweden could do about it. The purpose of Russia capturing Gotland would grant them further leverage over the Baltic nations. The fourteen tanks stationed there would be inefficient during an invasion.
Former military officials who were responsible for encouraging the dismantling of the Swedish military have expressed their regrets. In the 2015 documentary “What Happened to Defense?”, former Supreme Commander Owe Wictorin is deeply saddened by what has happened. He says that the idea of slowly reducing military spending was good, but it all happened much too quickly.
Sweden’s biggest threat is likely not Russia, however; it is the hordes of non-Europeans that have settled there. Their destructive behaviour and penchant to become violent over minor provocations, usually with regards to their faith, makes them a powder keg. Taking into account the ease that groups like ISIS have when entering European nations and the volatility of “peaceful” Muslims, the Swedish army and police would not stop an Islamic revolution.
Military service is a must for any country that wishes to defend itself and build a strong character in its men. A nationalist leader will strongly prioritize the quality of its soldiers by implementing conscription. Until Sweden and other weakened European countries begin increasing their military power and removing non-Europeans, the threat of a hostile takeover from within will continue to loom.
“One needs to always be prepared to defend the nation’s capital, vital infrastructure, power supply and telecommunications, important airports, import of basic necessities and military reinforcements. … [Sweden] today does not have that capability.”
SOURCE :
http://www.europeanguardian.com/84-uncategorised/defence/607-the-decay-of-sweden-s-military-and-its-current-sad-state
