- Astrid Meland
Commentator in VG. Writes about everything from Norwegian politics to gender.
Photo: Roar Hagen / VG
Crown Princess Victoria struggled to stay awake. But the headlines from Sweden are frightening. What’s happening?
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- The Swedish Civil Defense Minister and other speakers warned of possible war in Sweden during the annual defense conference in Sälen
- The risk of war is still considered low, but the Swedes are more clear about the danger of war than the Norwegian authorities
- The focus on the danger of war aimed particularly at civil society and young people
- Swedish authorities are doubling ammunition production and increasing the defense budget
- The US presidential election and Russia’s position in Ukraine may increase the risk of future conflict
Sea view
– There could be war Sweden, saw it the Swedish Minister of Civil Defense at the annual the defense conference in Sälen. The same message came from several speakers. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson was also gloomy.
This is where Crown Princess Victoria missed her eyes. The Express thinks it was during the foreign minister’s speech that she drifted off, so maybe she got the most important thing.
It is also not unusual for defense personnel to talk about threats leading up to next year’s state budget. It happens every year at this conference.
ATTENDED TOPTUNG DEFENSE CONFERENCE: The Swedish royal family was present in Sälen and received grim warnings. Photo: Pontus Lundahl/TT / TT Nyhetsbyrån / NTB
But this year, the warnings were not only aimed at decision-makers. This was a message to most Swedes.
– Who are you if the war comes, asked Minister of Civil Defense Carl-Oskar Bohlin.
The headlines have scared many, including VG’s readers. Not least children wondering why there is talk of war.
TURNING THE RHETORIC: – There could be war in Sweden, said Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin on Sunday. He is concerned with civil preparedness and asks people not only to store food and firewood, but also to mentally prepare for war. Photo: Claudio Bresciani/TT / TT Nyhetsbyrån / NTB
There is probably nothing special that has changed on the ground in recent weeks.
The risk of war is still considered to be low, although both Polish intelligence and Swedish analysts believe that there could be war.
And the danger of war has increased since Russia entered Ukraine.
Poland and the Baltics have seen it more clearly. Poland is in the process of establishing itself as a military superpower and, like the Baltic countries, believes that Russia must be defeated on the battlefield.
The countries further west have been more arrogant.
Many of our experts did not see the invasion coming, even when the soldiers lined the border. They also believed that Putin would continue to sell us gas until he shut down. We should listen to the ex-Soviet countries.
GO SKIING: Crown Princess Victoria attended Folk og Försvar 2024 which took place at Sälen’s Högfjällshotell. There she was also out on the ski slopes with other Swedish politicians. Photo: Pontus Lundahl/TT / TT Nyhetsbyrån / NTB
The consequences of a war are enormous. It is important to be prepared, precisely to avoid war.
The warnings in Sweden are now about more than bullets and gunpowder. The danger is also hybrid warfare.
The Swedish authorities believe that time is short and that it is urgent to put civil preparedness in place. They ask most people to be vigilant and prepare, store fuel and food.
It’s quite dramatic. But the message about the danger of war is real.
The Swedish authorities deliberately choose a serious tone.
They know they scare people, which has also led to criticism. But they consider it necessary.
CALLING ALL SWEDES TO PREPARE FOR WAR: The Chief of Defense in Sweden, Michael Bydén warned at the conference of People and Defense in Sälen recently. Photo: Pontus Lundahl/TT / TT Nyhetsbyrån / NTB
Interestingly, the Swedes target the civilian population and the young in particular.
Next year, NATO and total defense knowledge will be included in upper secondary education. The government has launched a study to change the curriculum in primary school as well.
More will enter first-time service. A whopping 110,000 in The 2006 class has been called to session. Far from all of them will serve conscription. But more must do it, also against his will.
DESTROYED: The attack on the Nord Stream gas pipeline in September 2022 destroyed several of the pipes that had been used to transport natural gas from Russia to Europe through the Baltic Sea. Photo: HANDOUT / AFP / NTB
In the last two years, the Swedish authorities have been clearer about the danger of war than the Norwegian authorities.
It also looks like they do more than us.
The defense budget has been greatly increased and they are doubling ammunition production.
INCREASED PREPAREDNESS: Coastguard ship KV Sortland on patrol in front of Troll A September 2022 after the sabotage operation in the Baltic Sea, drone attacks and sabotage have led to parents of young children being called out to also guard Norwegian infrastructure. Photo: Defense / NTB
The Ukraine war has made politics, which many thought impossible, possible. Sweden will join NATO. Analysts believe Norway may end up in the EU. And young people must join the armed forces.
Russia is rearming and leading a war economy. Relatively speaking, what we have to contend with can be weakened.
Because even if Russia is busy in Ukraine and Russian soldiers are moved south, away from the Norwegian border, things can change in the long term. For example with the US presidential election.
If Russia gets its way in Ukraine, the danger increases.
It’s a scary scenario. But it is still absolutely right that it is pronounced.
Published:
Published: 13.01.24 at 12:26 p.m
2024-01-13 11:26:23
#Comment #rule #war
