Defence

On 18–19 September, the annual NATO Days and the Czech Air Force Days will be held in Ostrava. For the second time, Sweden will assume the role of Special Partner Nation at NATO Days. Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist will deliver the opening address at the event and also hold bilateral meetings with the defence ministers from the Czech Republic and, Slovakia.

Today Peter Hultqvist, Minister for Defence of Sweden, and Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, signed a Joint Declaration on defence cooperation.

On 23 August, Swedish Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist participated in a panel discussion in Kyiv, Ukraine on the security situation in the Black Sea and the future of Crimea.

On 5 August, Swedish Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist met with British Minister for Defence Procurement Jeremy Quin in Stockholm. Current security policy issues and deepened Swedish-British defence research, capability and industrial collaboration were on the agenda.

On 30 June–1 July, Sweden’s Minister for Defence met his colleagues from the other member states of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) defence cooperation. During the ministerial meeting in Helsinki, Finland, they officially signed the JEF Policy Direction document, which sets key principles for further cooperation.

On 29–30 June, the defence ministers of Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, met in Tuusula just north of Helsinki, within the framework of the Nordic Defence Cooperation (NORDEFCO). The deteriorated regional security situation and further enhanced cooperation was the focus of discussions during the first physical NORDEFCO ministerial meeting since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Finland assumed the Chairmanship of the Nordic Defence Cooperation (NORDEFCO) on 1 January. Finnish priorities include strengthening and improving Nordic cooperation on peace, crises and conflict, as well as continuing work to implement NORDEFCO’s Vision 2025.

The 2015 defence bill stated that the single most important issue to address in the period of 2016–2020 was to increase the operational warfighting capability of the Swedish 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.

Sweden’s security, competitiveness and prosperity rest largely on digital foundations. For the Government, it is important that the opportunities of digital transformation are harnessed while the risks are managed. On Wednesday 16 June, Minister for Home Affairs Mikael Damberg and Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist visited the national cyber security centre to see how the new centre is taking shape.

On 7–18 June 2021, Denmark, Finland and Norway and Sweden, together with the United States, will host the recurring international air exercise Arctic Challenge Exercise 2021 (ACE 21). It will be the fifth year the exercise is held within the framework of Nordic cooperation. Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist will visit the exercise in Luleå on 15 June.