On 18 May, Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist met with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin in Washington DC to discuss Sweden’s application for NATO membership and the security environment in Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
During their meeting, which took place at the invitation of the Pentagon, Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin also discussed Swedish-American bilateral cooperation.
“Sweden and the US have a longstanding defence cooperation and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin expressed strong support for both Sweden’s and Finland’s application for NATO membership,” says Mr Hultqvist.
Mr Hultqvist travelled to Washington DC on Monday 16 May. The following day, he met with members of the US Congress. In connection with the meeting with Lloyd Austin, M Hultqvist also met with US Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall and US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro.
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Sweden: Government bill on military support from other states
The Government has adopted a bill proposing legislative amendments to quickly streamline Sweden’s ability to receive military support. The aim is to enable quicker decisions on receiving operational military support in the form of military forces from states that are members of the EU or NATO.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 has made it clear that Russia does not consider itself bound to the rules-based international order on which Sweden’s security is built, and the security environment in Europe has deteriorated as a result.
In response to the current environment, the Government has adopted a bill to improve Sweden’s ability to receive operational military support in the form of military forces from states that are members of the EU or NATO.
The legislative amendments would enable the Riksdag to allow the Government – if Sweden is at war or at risk of war – to request support in the form of military forces from a state that is a member of the EU or NATO for the purpose of defending against an armed attack against Sweden in accordance with international law. The amendments would also allow the Government to request military support from such states to assist in preventing violations of Swedish territory in peace or during war between foreign states. For this purpose, the Government may delegate administrative tasks to the state providing such support.
Legislation is already in place allowing the Government to request support from Finland in these situations. It is therefore proposed that the legislation be amended to include all states that are members of the EU or NATO.
The Government presented the bill to the Riksdag on 16 May. It is proposed that the legislative amendments enter into force on 19 May 2022.
Source – Swedish Government: Förbättrade rättsliga förutsättningar för att kunna ta emot militärt stöd från andra stater, prop. 2021/22:246 (in Swedish)