Sweden builds up defences - 40% increase in spend
They introduced a new defence bill on October 14th to fund the largest military expansion for 70 years.
Under the new bill the defence budget will rise by SKr27.5bn ($3.1bn) between 2021 and 2025, a 40% increase to around 1.5% of GDP—the highest level for 17 years.
50% increase in the armed forces to 90,000 people, a figure that includes regular soldiers, conscripts and local reservists in the Home Guard
two mechanised brigades increase to three, each of around 5,000 soldiers, with a smaller additional brigade for the Stockholm area.
The draft reintroduced for both genders in 2017, will double in size to 8,000 conscripts a year,
five new local-defence battalions will be established protecting supply lines from the Norwegian ports of Oslo and Trondheim.
An amphibious unit will be re-established in Gothenburg
newer Gripen fighter jets with longer range and better radar,
new air wing in Uppsala
an extra submarine,
a new type of warship
air-defence missiles for its ships .
funding for cybersecurity, the electricity grid and healthcare.
The aim is to enable Sweden to hold out in a crisis or war for at least three months, until help arrives
It is a dramatic expansion, but much of it is to patch up a creaking force. In 2013 Sweden’s top general admitted that his forces could only defend part of the country, and only for one week. Even today Sweden’s army has only two dozen artillery pieces. They are located in the north of the country, more than ten hours’ drive from the brigades they are supposed to support. Under the new plans, the army will have a more respectable 72 artillery pieces.
The bill is expected to pass