Latest news with #PålJonson
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sweden allocates over US$500m to strengthen Ukraine's defence capabilities
Sweden has allocated 4.8 billion Swedish Kronor (about US$504 million) to Ukraine to strengthen its defence capabilities. Source: European Pravda; Ministry of Defence of Sweden Details: The government decided on 22 May to instruct the Swedish Armed Forces to make financial contributions to multilateral funds and initiatives aimed at strengthening Ukraine's defence capabilities. The total amount of donations is about SEK 4.8 billion. This support is part of the 19th aid package presented this year. The international community has established several multilateral funds and initiatives to procure materials and equipment to strengthen Ukraine's defence capabilities. Stockholm contributes to several of them. Pål Jonson, the Swedish Minister of Defence, stressed that these funds would make the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ukrainian defence industry "stronger in their defence against Russia". In particular, this includes contributions to several capability coalitions within the framework of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein format: Demining Capability Coalition: SEK 100 million (about US$10.5 million). The money will be used to purchase demining equipment. Drone Coalition: SEK 300 million (about US$31.5 million). Sweden will help finance the purchase of various types of drones. Maritime Capability Coalition: SEK 50 million (about US$5.2 million). The Swedish contribution will help fund training for Ukrainian Navy personnel as part of Operation Intercharge. IT Coalition: SEK 30 million (about US$3.1 million). The funds will be used to purchase equipment for the creation of the Ukrainian Delta management system. The Swedish government also agreed to contribute further to the Danish model of arms procurement. Now, Stockholm has decided to allocate an additional SEK 1 billion (about US$105 million). In addition, the government has decided to allocate SEK 418 million (about US$43.9 million) to purchase armoured vehicle equipment. The government has also decided to support two multilateral ammunition procurement initiatives, including the Czech one. An additional SEK 550 million (about US$57.7 million) will be allocated for this purpose. In addition, the government is allocating more than SEK 1 billion to purchase air defence systems and long-range drones. Background: On 8 March, Sweden announced the allocation of about €2 million to develop opportunities for women in Ukraine and later about US$137 million for recovery and development. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NATO's presence in a strategic sea it shares with Russia is about to get bigger
NATO has ramped up its presence in the Baltic Sea, sensing a threat from Russia. Countries that border the strategic waters are also ordering more vessels. The sea is important both to Russia and to NATO. NATO countries that share a strategically important sea with Russia have boosted their presence there and are buying more warships, as they eye Russia warily. Denmark, which sits at the mouth of the Baltic Sea, announced plans to buy dozens more ships amid rising threats in the Baltic and the Arctic. The Baltic Sea is a major trade and telecomms route that has seen increased patrols and alleged sabotages of undersea cables since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Many European officials say they believe Russia is behind the severing of cables. Lithuania, which borders Russia and the sea, announced this month that it is buying two new attack boats. Poland is also building new frigates and is planning to buy submarines. Estonia, which has only eight ships and one of the world's smallest navies, aims to purchase up to 12 new vessels. Sweden, which joined NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine, is also procuring four more surface vessels. Much of Sweden's military was designed with a fight against Russia in mind, and it has even issued its citizens a booklet advising them about how to prepare for such a war. Pål Jonson, Sweden's defense minister, told BI in February that Sweden is "in the process also of procuring four new surface vessels," saying they will "be significantly bigger" than its existing Visby class corvettes. Bryan Clark, a naval operations expert at the Hudson Institute who served on the US Navy headquarters staff, said the vessels, combined with Sweden's submarines, would be "very useful for closing off the Baltic Sea if they wanted to, using the combination of the submarines and those surface combatants." The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration said last year that two of the ships were planned to be delivered to the Swedish Armed Forces in 2030. The country's admission to NATO boosted the alliance's maritime presence, particularly in the Baltic Sea, which is flanked by countries including Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Russia's naval presence in the Baltic as of December 2023 included one attack submarine, five guided missile destroyers, one guided missile frigate, and 35 smaller ships, according to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. However, Russia moves its naval assets around, changing what is based in each port. Many alliance members have started calling the Baltic the "NATO Sea," after Sweden and neighboring Finland joined NATO. Sweden brings submarine capabilities that few other NATO members in the region have. Estonia, Latvia, Denmark, Finland, and Lithuania have no submarines, while Poland has just one. Sweden's submarines are also well suited for the Baltic Sea in particular, according to naval warfare experts. Steven Horrell, a former US naval intelligence officer and now a warfare expert at the Center for European Policy Analysis, told BI that Sweden's small and quiet submarines are perfect for a sea with "smaller inlets, small islands, small shallow waters." Jonson said Sweden could bring "unique capabilities" to NATO's operations in the Baltic Sea, underwater and on the surface. Sweden also knows the sea well: Jonson described operating there as "something we've been doing for hundreds of years, and we like to think that we know the Baltic Sea inside out." He said "a lot of things" were being done to protect critical infrastructure on the seabed, adding that Sweden was using its own navy and coast guard, but NATO had also stepped up its efforts. Sweden is part of NATO's Baltic Sentry operation, which has put more ships and control vessels in the sea. But Jonson said more could be done. Sweden's defense minister warned last year that, even though Russia's forces were "tied up" in Ukraine, "We cannot rule out a Russian attack on our country." In addition to boosting defense spending, Sweden is giving Ukraine its biggest-ever support package this year, worth about $1.6 billion. Jonson described that as a message to its allies: "We have to all step up and provide more assistance to Ukraine." He called supporting Ukraine "the right thing to do and the smart thing to do because it's really also an investment into our own security because the stakes before us are enormous." Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NATO's presence in a strategic sea it shares with Russia is about to get bigger
NATO has ramped up its presence in the Baltic Sea, sensing a threat from Russia. Countries that border the strategic waters are also ordering more vessels. The sea is important both to Russia and to NATO. NATO countries that share a strategically important sea with Russia have boosted their presence there and are buying more warships, as they eye Russia warily. Denmark, which sits at the mouth of the Baltic Sea, announced plans to buy dozens more ships amid rising threats in the Baltic and the Arctic. The Baltic Sea is a major trade and telecomms route that has seen increased patrols and alleged sabotages of undersea cables since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Many European officials say they believe Russia is behind the severing of cables. Lithuania, which borders Russia and the sea, announced this month that it is buying two new attack boats. Poland is also building new frigates and is planning to buy submarines. Estonia, which has only eight ships and one of the world's smallest navies, aims to purchase up to 12 new vessels. Sweden, which joined NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine, is also procuring four more surface vessels. Much of Sweden's military was designed with a fight against Russia in mind, and it has even issued its citizens a booklet advising them about how to prepare for such a war. Pål Jonson, Sweden's defense minister, told BI in February that Sweden is "in the process also of procuring four new surface vessels," saying they will "be significantly bigger" than its existing Visby class corvettes. Bryan Clark, a naval operations expert at the Hudson Institute who served on the US Navy headquarters staff, said the vessels, combined with Sweden's submarines, would be "very useful for closing off the Baltic Sea if they wanted to, using the combination of the submarines and those surface combatants." The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration said last year that two of the ships were planned to be delivered to the Swedish Armed Forces in 2030. The country's admission to NATO boosted the alliance's maritime presence, particularly in the Baltic Sea, which is flanked by countries including Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. Russia's naval presence in the Baltic as of December 2023 included one attack submarine, five guided missile destroyers, one guided missile frigate, and 35 smaller ships, according to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. However, Russia moves its naval assets around, changing what is based in each port. Many alliance members have started calling the Baltic the "NATO Sea," after Sweden and neighboring Finland joined NATO. Sweden brings submarine capabilities that few other NATO members in the region have. Estonia, Latvia, Denmark, Finland, and Lithuania have no submarines, while Poland has just one. Sweden's submarines are also well suited for the Baltic Sea in particular, according to naval warfare experts. Steven Horrell, a former US naval intelligence officer and now a warfare expert at the Center for European Policy Analysis, told BI that Sweden's small and quiet submarines are perfect for a sea with "smaller inlets, small islands, small shallow waters." Jonson said Sweden could bring "unique capabilities" to NATO's operations in the Baltic Sea, underwater and on the surface. Sweden also knows the sea well: Jonson described operating there as "something we've been doing for hundreds of years, and we like to think that we know the Baltic Sea inside out." He said "a lot of things" were being done to protect critical infrastructure on the seabed, adding that Sweden was using its own navy and coast guard, but NATO had also stepped up its efforts. Sweden is part of NATO's Baltic Sentry operation, which has put more ships and control vessels in the sea. But Jonson said more could be done. Sweden's defense minister warned last year that, even though Russia's forces were "tied up" in Ukraine, "We cannot rule out a Russian attack on our country." In addition to boosting defense spending, Sweden is giving Ukraine its biggest-ever support package this year, worth about $1.6 billion. Jonson described that as a message to its allies: "We have to all step up and provide more assistance to Ukraine." He called supporting Ukraine "the right thing to do and the smart thing to do because it's really also an investment into our own security because the stakes before us are enormous." Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sweden's stealthy submarines are lethal. NATO's newest ally says it brings 'unique capabilities' to strategic waters.
Sweden said it possesses unique abilities to strengthen the NATO alliance. Its defense minister singled out its submarines to Business Insider. They are quiet, small, and can stay down for a long time, ideal for the Baltic Sea. Sweden's defense minister told Business Insider that his country, the newest NATO ally, has "unique capabilities to strengthen the alliance." Pål Jonson highlighted Sweden's "sub-arctic capabilities" and singled out Swedish submarines operating in the Baltic Sea. Sweden joined NATO in March 2024, abandoning decades of neutrality in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Its military has been largely built with a threat from Russia in mind, and it is now one of many European countries warning Russia could attack elsewhere on the continent. Sweden's navy has three advanced Gotland-class diesel-electric submarines and a fourth older one due to be retired when it gets two new models expected starting in 2027. Though they aren't nuclear-powered like US submarines, these submarines are quite capable. They have proven themselves against Western navies in exercises. Professor Basil Germond, a maritime security expert at the UK's Lancaster University, told BI that in the case of war, with Sweden now a part of the alliance, "NATO will be in a much better position in the Baltic Sea than Russia because of the concentration of power around the sea and their ability to close the sea to Russian activities." Sweden's submarines are small, silent, and can stay underwater for long stretches. The capabilities of the boats allowed one to "defeat" an American aircraft carrier, assets that are normally well-defended, in a military exercise. Sweden's HSMS Gotland "sank" USS Ronald Reagan in a 2005 wargame that pitted a carrier task force against the Swedish boat in an anti-submarine warfare exercise. Sweden operates conventional Gotland-class submarines, which Steven Horrell, a former US naval intelligence officer and now a naval warfare expert at the Center for European Policy Analysis, described to BI as "quieter than even a US nuclear class submarine." Bryan Clark, a former submariner and naval operations expert at the Hudson Institute, described Sweden's submarines as "very quiet." "That means they can operate undetected," he said. "They can patrol areas like the Baltic in particular, without the adversary forces knowing they're there." Clark called the submarines a "big asset" for NATO. Many NATO allies around the Baltic Sea have far less maritime capability. Sweden's Submarine Flotilla Commander Fredrik Linden told Reuters in 2023 that Sweden's navy has "regional expertise, which fills a critical gap, expertise that NATO doesn't have." Jonson said Sweden has "unique capabilities to operate in the Baltic Sea under the surface, on the surface, and in the air." He added that the waterway is "a rather unique operational environment." "The number of vessels at any time is about 4,500," the minister said of the strategic waters of the Baltic Sea. "That has increased significantly during the last decades and after the full-scale invasion broke out." Sweden knows the Baltic Sea well. Jonson said that operating there is "something we've been doing for hundreds of years, and we like to think that we know the Baltic Sea inside out." Located in northern Europe, the waterway is surrounded by Russia and NATO allies Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland and is strategically important both to NATO and the Russians. It is a key trade and telecommunications route. Jonson, Sweden's defense minister, described the sea as "an important lane of communication." Russia's war, which Moscow purportedly started with the intention to limit NATO expansion, has seen the Baltic become what some alliance members have called a "NATO sea" with Finland and Sweden joining as allies. In the Ukraine war, Russia has used its warships and subs to launch missiles at cities and critical infrastructure. Ukraine has, however, been able to damage many of Russia's vessels using its naval drones, driving away Russia's Black Sea Fleet from its headquarters in Crimea. That has made St. Petersburg more important as one of only a few Russian ports that don't become inaccessible in the winter. If Russia wanted to threaten Europe, the Baltic Sea could become a strategically significant battleground. For NATO, maintaining a greater maritime deterrence posture in the Baltic Sea is critical. The Gotland class submarines have been around for a while now, but they have been repeatedly updated to maintain their top-tier combat capabilities. The Swedish boats feature a unique air-independent propulsion system powered by Stirling-cycle external-combustion engines, an X rudder for maneuverability, and four heavyweight torpedo tubes and two lightweight torpedo tubes. They're stealthy assets that can combat surface ships and subs, as well as lay mines. Horrell called them perfect for a sea with "smaller inlets, small islands, small shallow waters." "When you throw in there that it's home waters that someone has been operating in for years and years as an individual, individual officers, individual crews, crews as a team, you know, that makes a huge difference and brings a lot of capabilities," he added. Clark said Sweden tends "to operate primarily in that Baltic Sea, North Sea region, which is a lot of relatively shallow water and a lot of coastline, a lot of little inlets and fjords." He said Sweden typically focuses on "submarines and coastal warfare" while Finland focuses more on sea denial, with assets like mine layers. "Between the two of them," he said, "they could pin Russian forces inside of Russian waters pretty effectively." Western officials have raised concerns about Baltic Sea security in response to severed undersea cables. Sweden is stepping up its actions there, buying more surface vessels. Other allies are, too. Denmark is buying dozens more ships amid rising threats in the Baltic Sea and the Arctic. Sweden and many of its neighbors warn Russia could attack elsewhere in Europe, beyond Ukraine. It has increased its defense spending and wants allies to do the same. Jonson said "we doubled our own defense investment in five years, and we're now 2.4% of GDP and we have a trajectory going up to even further." Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Swarms of military drones will be part of NATO's arsenal soon if this country gets its way
Sweden's defense minister said his country is "laser-focused" on making swarm drones quickly. It's a huge capability that has not yet been seen in drone warfare between Russia and Ukraine. Sweden is trying to learn from Ukraine's defense, as Europe worries about a future Russian attack. A NATO member has rushed the production of swarm drones — a technology not seen even in Ukraine — as part of an effort to learn from Russia's invasion and prepare its own defenses. Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson told Business Insider that his country identified the capability while watching Russia's invasion of Ukraine, where drones have been used more than in any other conflict in history. Jonson said it was "a project that we developed very quickly, in less than a year," where traditionally it "might have taken five years." He said it would be tested in a NATO-led exercise, and that one soldier could autonomously control up to 100 drones. Swarm drones allow operators or artificial intelligence systems to get a host of drones to work together, either to surveil or attack. While groups of drones can be pre-programmed to work collectively, swarm drones are different and can be much more powerful: They are interconnected and can use AI to react in real time to moving targets or incoming enemy defenses. In January, Sweden unveiled new swarm drone technology developed by its armed forces and Swedish company Saab. Saab told Defense News that each drone has a different capability, like having sensors, a payload, or communication tech. Swarm drones "operate as one," James Patton Rogers, a drone expert at the Cornell Brooks Tech Policy Institute, told BI. This, he said, opens up "a whole world of tactics and strategies that we've not even thought of yet." Russia's invasion of Ukraine has raised concern across Europe that Russia could attack elsewhere on the continent, prompting soaring defense spending and reflections on what militaries need to do to be more ready. Western militaries have taken a host of lessons from the war, with drones being a key one. Both Russia and Ukraine have leaned heavily on drone tech and tactics, with Ukraine producing naval drones that have damaged Russian warships, drones that use AI, and drones that don't rely on GPS, in order to sidestep Russian jamming. But swarm drones have not been seen — at least not yet. Zachary Kallenborn, a drone warfare expert at King's College London, told BI he was not aware of any drones truly collaborating together. It's notable, then, that Sweden has identified this as a key takeaway. Jonson said swarming drones came from a review by Sweden's defense commission, which was tasked with finding lessons from the war that Sweden should adopt. "This was something that we identified from the ministry in close dialogue with the armed forces: that we needed to invest into the capability of drones," he said. Jonson said Sweden's swarm drone development has taken place so fast because it was done "in a slightly unconventional way," with closer collaboration than usual between the Swedish Armed Forces, Sweden's defense procurement agency, and the Swedish Defense Research Agency. It's not clear when the drones could be ready to be deployed. Rogers said it would be "unprecedented" to fully develop the capability in around a year. "I'm wary of any claims that anyone is able to deploy a true, effective, tested drone swarm within 18 months of standing up a project," he said. "But it's certainly a gap in the European arsenal and the NATO arsenal." Mauro Gilli, a senior researcher in military technology at ETH Zurich, added that "even if they do it in two years, it will be really, really remarkable." Swarm drones are a technology that other NATO members are working on. Kallenborn, the King's College London drone expert, said the challenge for swarm drone makers is "getting it right on the battlefield," where getting technology to work in a complex space "can be a challenge." Many warfare experts say drone technology moves so fast that the West should not pump out tons of drones too quickly, as they could soon be outdated. Instead, said Kallenborn, Western countries should focus on learning what capacities they need and their ability to make them at scale, "but actually doing so does seem quite premature." While swarm drones have not been seen in Ukraine, Gilli told BI that the success of regular drones in military situations likely justified the investment. He said that drones have allowed Ukraine — with far less manpower than Russia, and with notable artillery shortages — to slow Russia's attack. According to Rogers, Ukraine has likely not fielded swarm drones yet because it's faster and cheaper to focus on increasing and innovating existing drone types, rather than on entirely new technology. But they could be in Ukraine's future. Mykhailo Fedorov, the head of Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Affairs, said in February that Ukraine was pushing to create swarms of drones controlled by artificial intelligence. The need to make weapons fast has been a key lesson from Ukraine, and many Western leaders and experts have warned that the West is making them too slowly. Jonson said the war shows the West must work on "strengthening our defense industrial production." He called it an area where Sweden likes to think "we punch above our weight because we have a very strong and sizable defense industrial base." Samuel Bendett, a drone technology and Russian defense expert at the Center for Naval Analyses, told BI that swarm drones are advantageous for militaries with smaller populations, or that invest a lot into training each soldier — something Western militaries typically do more than Russia. They would let militaries field "multiple types of robotic systems in place of a single soldier," he said. Meanwhile, Jonson advised any Swedish allies who do not have drone programs — or are not investing in drones — to do so, because "this is an aspect of contemporary warfare that has become very clear, has a very significant role on the battlefield in Ukraine." Read the original article on Business Insider
