Swedish Warned After Military Chiefs Issue War Warning
A warning to Swedes from two top defense officials to prepare for war has prompted concern and accusations of alarmism.
Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin told a defense conference There could be war in Sweden.
His message was then backed up by military commander-in-chief Gen Micael Byden, who said all Swedes should prepare mentally for the possibility.
However, opposition politicians have objected to the tone of the warnings.
Ex-Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told Swedish TV that while the security situation was serious, it was not as if war was just outside the door.
Finland has already joined NATO, and Russian officials have suggested it will be the first to suffer if tensions with NATO escalate.
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Sweden’s Civil Defense Minister said his aim was not for people to lose sleep, but to gain awareness of what was going on.
He appealed to local authorities, emergency planners, and individuals to respond.
If there is one thing that keeps me awake at night, it is the feeling that things are moving too slowly, Mr Bohlin told the Society and Defence conference on Sunday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Sweden during the conference to work with his country and others to manufacture weapons and get stronger together.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson added that in 2024, Sweden would meet NATO’s target of spending 2% of economic output (GDP) on military defense, doubling its spending since 2020.
Defense specialist Oscar Jonsson said the tone of the warnings from defense chiefs was something of a storm in a teacup and that 90% of what had been said arose from frustration that too little was being done to build a civil and military defense.
Time is limited and it was aimed at being a wake-up call for agencies, individuals, and departments, he told the BBC.
The Swedish armed forces are incredibly competent, but the scale is nowhere near. The latest defense bill says we should set up 3.5 brigades, whereas Ukraine had 28 when the war started.
