Latest news with #SwedishArmedForces'
American Military News
5 days ago
- Politics
- American Military News
Conscription age for fmr. officers may be raised to 70 in Sweden
A new proposal in Sweden suggests that the Scandinavian nation could increase the upper conscription age limit for former officers from 47 to 70. The proposal comes as Sweden is taking steps to increase defense spending amid rising tension in the region due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. According to Reuters, investigators involved in a government-appointed review announced the conscription age limit suggestion on Monday, saying, 'The Swedish Armed Forces' need for officers justifies an extended military service duration that should apply, regardless of the state of alert, to those who were previously employed as professional officers or reserve officers.' Reuters reported that if the proposal is approved in Sweden, former military officers up to 70 years old could be recalled to service in the Swedish Armed Forces. According to Reuters, the war between Russia and Ukraine has forced the Scandinavian country to change its defense plans, ultimately leading to Sweden joining NATO last year. The outlet noted that Sweden has doubled its defense spending to 2.4% of the country's gross domestic product and is planning to increase defense spending to 3.5% of the country's gross domestic product by 2032. READ MORE: Putin drafts 160,000 men for Russian military as Ukraine war continues The BBC previously reported that Sweden reintroduced military conscription for men and women in 2017, which took effect in 2018. At the time, a Swedish spokesperson said, 'The Russian illegal annexation of Crimea [in 2014], the conflict in Ukraine and the increased military activity in our neighbourhood are some of the reasons [for the conscription].' According to Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson revealed the results of the Swedish government's inquiry regarding ways the country could expand the size of the Swedish Armed Forces in the event of a future conflict during a press conference on Monday. The outlet noted that Jonson previously announced a goal of increasing Sweden's military from 88,000 personnel to 115,000 personnel. During Monday's press conference, Johnson said, 'We are making very large investments now in military defence. Much of the focus has been on strengthened materiel supply.' 'But we will also need to continue working to strengthen the Armed Forces' personnel supply,' Jonson added.
Local Sweden
5 days ago
- Business
- Local Sweden
Sweden considers calling up 70-year-old officers to active military duty
Sweden is considering calling up former officers as old as 70 to active duty as it seeks to ensure its military is prepared in times of crisis, the defence minister told a press conference. Advertisement The proposal is among several options suggested by an inquiry that the government ordered in 2024, the year the country joined Nato, to look at how Sweden's expanding armed forces would be assured of personnel in a conflict. Sweden broke two centuries of military non-alignment to join Nato in the aftermath of Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which sparked alarm in Sweden and Finland that Moscow could eventually threaten them. Presenting the results of the government probe, Defence Minister Pål Jonson told a press conference on Monday that the country faced "serious times". "This means that we are now making very significant investments in the military defence," Jonson told reporters. In addition to investing in equipment already underway, Sweden also needed to make sure that enough military personnel would be available in a crisis. The government probe suggested raising the age that former military officers could be recalled to active duty to 70, from the current 47. It also proposed removing a limit on military deployment for former conscripts. Currently, "deployment duty" remains for a maximum of 10 years after the most recent military service, but the inquiry suggested scrapping this limit and instead placing those who hadn't served for 10 years or more into the Swedish Armed Forces' reserve force. Advertisement Jonson said the proposals would be sent out for review, hoping to present a bill to parliament early next year. After the end of the Cold War, Sweden drastically slashed its defence spending as it focused its military efforts on international peacekeeping missions. But it reversed course following Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, and begun increasing military expenditure. In 2017, the country reintroduced compulsory military service, seven years after abandoning it. In March, the government announced it would increase defence spending by about 300 billion kronor over the next decade, aiming to increase spending to 3.5 percent of GDP by 2030.
