The Defence Minister opened the press conference by stating that the government considers the greatest threat to Sweden to be Ukraine losing the war against Russia. Furthermore, Pål Jonson said that the growth now being implemented is the largest build-up of total defence since the 1950s.
Sven-Olof Sällström announced that the Tidö parties are now proposing additional allocations of 700 million kronor, which, including previously made decisions and annual adjustments, means that the 2024 allocation is just over 27 billion higher than in 2023. This means that Sweden will also exceed the 2% target according to NATO's own definition of how defence allocations are calculated.
Sällström continued, stating that the government proposes continued investments of approximately 1.25 billion kronor by 2025 and 7.4 billion by 2026. The Swedish Armed Forces' order authorisation will also increase; from 144 million kronor to 177 million kronor in the coming years, an increase of 25%.
Mikael Oscarsson stated that resources will be allocated to recruit and retain personnel. The Tidö parties want to see an increased number of conscripts, at least 8,000 per year by 2025. They are also allocating funds for more places in the Officers Programme and improved conditions and agreements. They will also allocate funds for the armed forces to reacquire equipment donated to Ukraine as well as extra equipment beyond previous levels, including:
Army: procurement of the Archer artillery system, anti-tank equipment, medium-range and man-portable air defence.
Navy: preparations for the modification of Visby corvettes, initiation of the development of new surface combat ships.
Air Force: continued procurement of JAS39E, upgrading of the existing JAS39C/D fleet, and a "near-term" solution to replace the outgoing Hercules transport aircraft.
The Liberals' Anna Starbrink highlighted the investments in innovation and research announced last week. She also mentioned various initiatives to increase international interoperability, recruitment to NATO's command structures, and paying the membership fee to the defence alliance.
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