War of Ukraine Sweden believed in eternal peace, but now it is equipped for the worst

Kungsängen

Jens Österström presses the trigger, and the bullet plunges out of the barrel of the Swedish AK 4 assault rifle.

Pam. Pam. Pam.

Three shots, three hits on the board.

Österström is satisfied.

“It did feel like I hadn’t shot in years, but overall the hit accuracy was good. Now all you have to do is screw in and get your target in order. Familiar procedure, ”he says.

A training event for the Swedish Defense Forces Hemvärnet is underway in Kungsängen, about 30 kilometers from Stockholm. Hemvärnet can be translated into Finnish as a home security force.

Hemvärnet is a volunteer unit that Swedish citizens over the age of 18 can apply for. It can be seen as one branch of defense alongside land, naval and air forces. The goal is to train a pool of volunteers who can be called up quickly in the event of a crisis.

Jens Österström joined Hemvärnet immediately after completing his military service in the early 2000s. However, he has not been involved for five years, but now he has re-applied for basic education.

“It feels great to come back. This is what has been needed. Of course, there is a sense of duty behind it, but also friendship and camaraderie that is unique here. ”

Russia’s attack on Ukraine and Sweden is also in mind.

“The rhetoric on the Russian side has been very uncomfortable. It reinforces the feeling that it is better to be ready than not to be ready, ”says Österström.

Four days on the third day of the training period, weapons have been seized. On the shooting range in the forest, the use of an assault rifle and a pistol is practiced.

There is now a demand for exercises, says Lieutenant Colonel, Livgardesgruppen, Director of Home Security Training Johan Midenby.

“Interest in Hemvärnet has grown significantly in 1.5 months,” he says, giving an example:

About 50-80 people a month apply for training in the Livgardesgruppen. In just over a month, the number of applicants has grown to more than 4,000.

“There are more than 400 applications every day,” Midenby says.

Interest in home security forces began to rise in mid-February, when Swedish media reality was filled with speculation: will Russia attack Ukraine?

And after the Russian invasion on February 24, the Swedish national defense function grew to dimensions not previously seen in Hemvärnet.

“It says people have a great desire to help the defense forces. Of course, we are not able to accept everyone who is willing, but there is a wide mix of applicants from different walks of life, ”says Midenby.

This During the training, Hemvärnet’s operations, first aid course and familiarization with the situation in Ukraine and the change in the Swedish security environment have now been reviewed.

Indeed, it has changed drastically with the Russian invasion. Last week, Sweden said it would increase investment in the defense forces. The aim is to reach the so-called NATO limit: 2% of GDP will be invested in defense spending as soon as possible.

It’s big news in a country that has been working for years to disarm its army. Sweden began to reinvest in its defense forces after Russia invaded Crimea in 2014 and the country has also restored conscription.

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The acceleration phase is now ahead. Prime minister Magdalena Andersson has said that more and more Swedes need to prepare for conscription. In recent years, about 4,000 Swedes a year have completed their military service, but the number is expected to at least double in the coming years. In Finland trained more than 21,000 conscripts each year.

In terms of increasing defense capabilities, it is good that interest in the Swedish Defense Forces and military service has also increased. However, Hemvärnet is a more flexible option for many, as training is lighter than in military service, which requires 6 to 15 months of continuous service.

Lieutenant Colonel Johan Midenby talks about Sweden’s past defense decisions in the same way he talks about everything else: stating the facts.

“It’s easy to be wise. We believed in eternal peace, but unfortunately reality came up. ”

In Sweden, there are now about 20,000 volunteers in the home security force. The number will increase significantly in the future.

The Livgardetsgruppen have met to train about 350 Hemvärnet soldiers a year, but now the number is set to grow. How much, Midenby can’t say exactly yet.

When a volunteer joins Hemvärnet, he or she enters into an agreement with the Armed Forces, under which he or she undertakes to take part in the activities 4 to 13 days a year. Most, however, do more, says Johan Midenby.

The troops are ready quickly: some of the troops in six hours, the whole battalion a day. In addition, Hemvärnet volunteers are ready to serve in the Defense Forces for 90 days. Hemvärnet has 40 battalions stationed around the country. The troops carry out national defense tasks and help in crises such as forest fires.

Swedish the defense forces estimate that the threat of an armed attack on Sweden remains low. Preparedness has not been raised, but the possibility of an armed attack cannot be ruled out.

Chief Johan Midenby says he now works seven days a week. There is a lot of work and with the increase in the number of applications, it has also been necessary to hire more people.

In addition, the Livgardetsgruppen has taken a number of measures that have long been on the to-do list. Those that may have been postponed in the past.