Sweden's Military: Growing and Armed to the Teeth

Comments · 895

• MI

  @michaelshurkin613 · 1 year ago (edited) · pinned

  Great comments here. Three things I regret overlooking, which people responded to:<br>1. Sweden&apos;s history of conflict with Denmark<br>2. The Home Guard<br>3. Sweden&apos;s nuclear program

  82

• DE

  @dennislindqvist1265 · 1 year ago

  Sweden has an impressive defense capability. I am happy to have such a neighbor. Greetings from Finland.

  363

• VI

  @vicolin6126 · 1 year ago

  I think the biggest advantage modern Sweden has over its 17th century version is the fact that all of Sweden&apos;s immediate neighbors (and a lot more distant ones) are friends and Allies. Back in the day, it was the reverse: Sweden was surrounded by enemy states in every direction. Just the fact that Denmark is though of as a brother-state these days shows how much things have changed, for the better.

  202

• AN

  @AndersTornqvistsvedbergh · 1 year ago (edited)

  Remember that nearly every swede guy between 45 - 65 has done some sort of military service. So those people can fight but will probably not run so much as the younglings, but can still handle a machinegun.

  91

• DI

  @dirreeN · 1 year ago

  Just one quick correction about the spending, we&apos;re now aiming at 3.5% in 2035, and 1.5% in the civilian infrastructure. So it&apos;ll be 5% in total!

  101

• KR

  @kronop8884 · 1 year ago

  The Gotland class subs &nbsp;are not just Diesel electric submarines, they are Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) using Stirling engines when submerged which enables them to stay submerged for weeks on end.

  128

• PE

  @petter5721 · 7 months ago (edited)

  In the 90s when I did my military service in Sweden we studied armoured vehicles, the NATO book was a few pages but the Soviet book was very thick. We had to learn to identify different types of vehicles and their specifications and armour thickness in different attitudes. <br>We had to take the test over and over until we had 100% correct answers.<br>They was never any doubt where the enemy came from!

  5

• PA

  @pasikiiski · 1 year ago

  I am Finn who served during &nbsp;1980’s in Karelian Brigade . Since then I have actively followed military, political and social matters, studied history and also been active in volunteer defence. I have seen collapse of USSR &nbsp;and rising of putins regime and I have heard my Grandparents stories about winter-and continuation war. To me Finlands and Swedens NATO-membership was best news of Millenia, political and securitywise. Sweden and Finland are deeply connected &nbsp;geopolitically, historically and culturally. Now we can openly put our gear, innovation and productivity together and make best use of our assets. Together we are strong, as slogan says, and there is truth in this.<br>Ukrainians show us what country can do when will to defend it is strong…. there has always been lot of that will here in Finland, and I believe that in Sweden also. Superfast NATO-membership and fast re-arming shows that.

  87

• NO

  @nocturne7371 · 1 year ago

  There is a story being told around the military, probably not a true one, but it describe the Swedish military and their objectives. It tells of a conscript that is asking his officer about why all of Sweden&apos;s defences are along the coast (to the east and south) and hardly anything towards the mountains (west). The officer thinks for a while and answers that the probability of Russia coming through Norway and over the mountains is negliagble. The story indicates that THE ONLY enemy in the head of the officer was Russia.

  94

• DA

  @dantorre1683 · 1 year ago

  The Swedish Air Force is a real force multplier, with Gripen E and also keeping the C/D models. 100+ modern jets, few countries have that.

  11

• HE

  @henriklindblom7465 · 1 year ago

  The Home Guard is a separate branch of the armed forces.<br>We have the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Home Guard.<br>The Home Guard consists om 22.000 soldiers separat from the rest of the military.

  69

• TH

  @TheStachman · 1 year ago

  As a French strategy expert and fanboy I was surprised you negelected to mention Napoleon&apos;s Marshal Bernadotte who was recruited to be Crown Prince and became Swedish king in 1818. He was an effective General and skilled administrator. The Swedish foreign policy was laid out by his experiences in the maelstrom that was Europe in 1780-1815.

  100