On 7 March 2024, it was celebrated in Sweden as a historical day, the "winner of freedom": After about 2 centuries of non-involvement, the country joined NATO. This was another crucial step towards the restoration of defence capabilities, which the Swedish government has made its main objective. These signs are very akin to those of the German breakthrough, but a closer look shows that Sweden is ahead of Germany in many respects.
After the end of the Cold War, this Nordic country besides reduced defence spending, reduced the army by 90%, and then suspended conscription to the military. However, the reimbursement started much earlier than in Germany: In addition, the Russian authorities have argued that the Russian authorities are not in a position to support the implementation of the Russian regime. “It was the first tiny turning point for Sweden” “ Ann-Marie Ekengren, prof. of political discipline at the University of Goteborg, says.
The End of Neutrality
Just a fewer years after the suspension, compulsory military service was reinstated in 2017. In 2020, it was decided to build 4 fresh brigades and gradually increase defence spending. In just a fewer years, the military budget for gross home product has doubled and this year is expected to scope 2.4%. Sweden has besides provided a comparatively advanced level of support for Ukraine; in terms of economical production it ranks sixth in the world.
Unlike Germany, the financing of additional billions is secured in the long term. Thanks to the long-term budgetary surpluses, the Swedish debt ratio is highly low and the financial manoeuvre is larger than in Germany. Even there, however, this is not possible without compromises: the goal of the surplus since the 1990s, which allowed for the simplification of debt, has been devoted to defence spending.
Other details are politically controversial — social democrats, for example, want to introduce an additional taxation while ruling conservatives do not. However, the will to make defence a precedence is strong in all parties. The Russian invasion of all Ukraine 3 years ago changed the perception of the safety situation in Sweden.
To the point that The country threw overboard its centuries-old conviction of non-involvement and, supported by a vast majority in the Swedish parliament, applied to join NATO. “ Neutrality was an integral part of Swedish identity,” says Ekengren. However, the fresh geopolitical situation yet changed the opinion of skeptics, especially among social democrats.
“We have swallowed humiliation due to the fact that this step was necessary”
The accession process lasted almost 2 years and called for painful compromises with Turkey and Hungary, which have long opposed Sweden's integration into the alliance. “In a sense, we were humiliated,” says Magnus Petersson, prof. of global relations at the University of Stockholm, but we swallowed it due to the fact that it was simply necessary.
Since Sweden has been working closely with NATO countries since the 1990s as part of the Partnership for Peace, accession to the EU and various bilateral agreements, its military integration with the structures of the Alliance is moving faster. “We were already rather compatible due to the fact that we did many large exercises together, ” explains Petersson.
Shortly after joining the Alliance, Sweden first took part in NATO exercises as a associate State, She late participated in a Baltic Sea surveillance operation with 3 ships, and now announced that will bring 8 fighters to the NATO surveillance mission in Poland. At the beginning of the year, Sweden sent a battalion to the Multinational Detached Land Forces (FLF) in Latvia and is besides expected to play a major function in the planned NATO presence in northern Finland.
JOHN Nilsson / PAPHMS Carlskrona ship, 1 of respective Swedish ships forming part of the NATO Permanent Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1), which monitored the Baltic as part of the NATO Baltic Sentry operation, Karlskrona, Sweden, on 4 February 2025.
Protecting the Swedish island from Putin’s “eye”
In addition to strong air forces and modern defence industry, Sweden besides strengthens NATO in geostrategic terms in the Arctic and the Baltic Sea. The island of Gotland, which lies between Sweden and Latvia, is peculiarly crucial and can play a decisive function in defending the Baltic region in a crisis situation. The Swedish government has been strengthening Gotland militarily since 2014., due to the fact that according to the head of the Swedish Armed Forces, Vladimir Putin besides has an eye on the island.
Perhaps this is 1 of the reasons why citizens support reinforcements and accession to NATO. Although criticism has emerged, in general Swedes support course change in defence policy — and are much more united than Germany.
Two-thirds supports joining NATO. According to Gallup's poll, almost half the Swedes would defend their country in the event of war. Almost 90% of respondents besides agreed "completely" or "partly" that Sweden should defend another NATO countries in the event of an attack. A survey conducted by the University of Uppsala in collaboration with the SOM Institute at the University of Goteborg examined the background of these data.
The Swedes want to defend their country
Data show that the readiness to defend is peculiarly advanced among men, supporters of conservative and liberal parties and people with higher incomes. “The sex difference is definitely the biggest,” says Sten Widmalm, who conducted the survey with Thomas Persson. “But we besides see that people who feel they belong to society are more likely to support and defend them,” he adds.
This is where the "total defence" comes into play, a concept from the Cold War, to which Sweden returned after 2022 and even created a separate ministry for it. In addition to conventional military defence, the civilian population should besides be entitled to keep the country's capacity to function in war and crisis situations. For this purpose, brochures are regularly sent to all Swedish households, and subjects specified as defence and safety play a more crucial function in school lessons.
Three pillars, however, form the basis: compulsory military service, compulsory conscription and compulsory civilian service. Since its restoration in 2017, the capacity has already been importantly increased; by 2032 about 12,000 conscripts are to be trained each year. Acceptance is high, as the survey of Widmalm and Persson shows.
More than 60% of those surveyed are willing to make their contribution to civilian defence in “very high” or “high enough” degree — much more than in the case of military defence (a bit below 40%). — Among the younger people there are now more enlisted in military service than can be accepted “Widmalm says.
A broad approach that combines military and civilian defence can have an inclusive effect and convince more people to engage in defending the country. It seems to work: despite all the obstacles, Swedes support the restoration of defence with determination from which Germany is far away.
