Ministry of Defence

During a ceremony in Stockholm, Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist and India’s Minister of Defence Nirmala Sitharaman will sign a security protection agreement between Sweden and India.

The Government today appointed 31 state secretaries at the Government Offices. Former state secretaries have been dismissed from their positions. Most of the state secretaries have previously held corresponding positions at the Government Offices.

In 2019 Sweden holds the chairmanship of the Nordic Defence Cooperation (NORDEFCO). During the year, the Nordic ministers of Defence will conduct two ministerials and several meetings will be held on political and military levels. Sweden’s priorities during its chairmanship will cover enhanced military cooperation as well as facilitation of armaments cooperation. In 2019 the Nordic countries also celebrates 10 years of defence cooperation within the NORDEFCO format.

Rescue services, government agencies and local authorities are engaged in intensive efforts in response to the forest fires raging around the country, the widespread drought and the ongoing heat wave. More information about these efforts is available below. Crisis preparedness is part of the remit of every government agency and authority.

The prolonged heat and drought have impacted many sectors of society. There have been numerous forest fires, the agricultural sector has been severely affected by the drought and groundwater levels have dropped. The extreme temperatures can also cause health problems, especially among older people and the sick. The Government is following developments closely and taking the necessary decisions. The Government Offices is in continuous contact with the responsible government agencies.

During a ceremony in Turku, on 9 July, Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist and Finnish Minister of Defence Jussi Niinistö signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding the Swedish-Finnish Defence Cooperation. The agreement provides common political guidance for the defence cooperation.

On June 28, the Swedish government tasked the Swedish Armed Forces to take part in the German-led Framework Nations Concept.

Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist visited London on 27-28 June. Together with his colleagues within the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) Minister Hultqvist signed a memorandum of understanding through which JEF reaches full operational capability.

The 2015 defence bill states that the single most important issue to address in the period of 2016–2020 is to increase the operational warfighting capability of the Armed Forces and to ensure the overall capability of Swedish total defence. The total defence includes all activities preparing the society for war and consists of both civil and military defence. When the Government has declared raised or highest level of alert the total defence includes all societal activities. Vital societal functions include the Riksdag (the Swedish parliament), the Government, government agencies, municipalities, private enterprises, voluntary defence organisations as well as individuals.

State secretary Jan Salestrand participated in the first Polish-Swedish roundtable on security policy on 4-5 June.