HS in Sälen | Minister: War may come to Sweden

I'm slathering

Swedish looking for ways to strengthen national defense with hands in clay. The theme of the Sälen security conference, which started on Sunday, is Sweden's defense and security political identity and vision.

In Sweden, we talk about the so-called total national defense (total defense). Minister responsible for Swedish civil defense Carl-Oscar Bohlin named the entire Swedish nation as the most important audience for his Sunday speech in Sälen.

According to Bohlin, Sweden is a country that has lived in a time of peace for a long time and knows the horrors of war, but the thought of them is distant.

“War may come to Sweden,” Bohlin said at a conference in Sälen's Tunturihotelli on Sunday.

According to him, the horrors of war and terror come closer than ever from mobile phone screens, but according to him, Swedes have a strong idea that war always happens somewhere else.

“The situation now is different from what we are used to in this country,” Bohlin said.

Time is, according to Bohlin, the most important non-renewable resource when preparing for a possible crisis or war. That is why the country's government is now trying to speed up the necessary measures for preparation.

Last year the Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson said at the Sälen conferencethat the country reinstates the so-called civic duty or work obligation (civil obligation).

Sweden's civic duty parallels the work duty mentioned in the Finnish National Defense Duty Act, the purpose of which is to ensure the supply of labor in tasks critical to society's functions.

Civil duty is part of strengthening Sweden's defense and part of overall national defense.

In 2022, the Swedish security agency MSB sent a letter to all 16-year-olds telling them about their role in the event of a possible war as part of overall national defense.

Total national defense has been in force in Sweden since 1994. It applies to all persons aged 16 to 70 living in Sweden. For many, duty means continuing to work in one's own field so that society's activities remain secure.

Bohlin has announced that MSB will begin a mission aimed at supporting the transition of civilian actors into military organizations in a high state of readiness. In addition, MSB together with Socialstyrelsen, which is responsible for Swedish social and health care, will carry out an assessment of the supply of health care products.

According to Bohlin, the most important task is to increase citizens' awareness of their responsibilities in overall national defense.

In his speech, Bohlin called on everyone “from leaders and municipal councilors to private individuals” to start working to strengthen the country's overall defense immediately.

“Swedish state administration in a broad sense has not been able to communicate clearly enough about the severely weakened security policy situation over a long period of time,” Bohlin told the press after his speech.

On Sunday The Swedish Minister of Defense also spoke to the press at the press conference of the Sälen security conference Pål Jonsson.

According to Jonsson, the Swedish government intends to conduct an investigation to “examine the personnel maintenance” of the defense forces. Major General is responsible for the investigation Roland Ekenbergand is scheduled for completion in June 2025.

Sweden is exploring, among other things, the possibility of raising the upper age limit for conscription. Currently, Swedish military service ends at the age of 47.

According to Jonsson, there are problems, for example, in the fact that soldiers who are constantly employed leave prematurely.

“It's about the availability of Defense Forces personnel,” he said.

Sweden is also increasing the number of conscripts undergoing basic training. The goal is to get 8,000 conscripts to basic training during 2025.

Last year The Swedish government said it wants to increase the number of conscripts in basic training to 10,000 a year by 2030.