Sweden has announced that it will reintroduce compulsory military service starting this summer to respond to global security challenges including from Russia.

"The government wants a more stable staff supply system and to boost its military capability because the security situation has changed," Swedish Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist told TT news agency on Thursday.

The Scandinavian nation, which has not seen armed conflict on its territory in two centuries, ended conscription in 2010 after it was deemed an unsatisfactory way of meeting the needs of a modern army.

Sweden's minority government on Thursday is set to introduce to the parliament a bill to restore conscription this summer for all Swedes born after 1999. It will last for 11 months.

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The measure is expected to be adopted by parliament, subject to agreement between the leftist government and the centre right opposition.

Some 13,000 young Swedes are expected to be mobilised from July 1, but only 4,000 of them, 18-year-olds of both sexes, will be selected for military service based on motivation and skills.

They will be called up each year after January 1 2018.

"The new security situation is also a reality, partly in the form of Russian power politics which has long been underestimated and downplayed," Wilhelm Agrell, a security expert at Lund University, told AFP.

Sweden is not a NATO member but has signed the body's Partnership for Peace programme launched in 1994 to develop military cooperation between NATO and non-member countries.

On defence issues, Sweden is very close to its Finnish neighbour, which has with Russia a border of 1,340km.

The Nordic and Baltic region's only non-aligned countries, Finland and Sweden, have stepped up their military cooperation with US, following concerns over Russia's increased military activity in northern Europe.

Finland accused Moscow last year of violating its airspace when two Russian fighter jets flew on separate occasions in the south of the coastal town of Porvoo. The incident raised alarm in Sweden.

Russia has warned against Sweden and Finland joining NATO, an issue that has been debated in both countries.</s>Sweden's government has formally announced that it is bringing back conscription.</s>Sweden announced March 2 that it will reintroduce compulsory military service starting this summer to respond to global security challenges.

"The government wants a more stable staff supply system and to boost its military capability because the security situation has changed," Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist told local media.

Sweden ended conscription in 2010 because it had been considered unsatisfactory for meeting the needs of a modern army.

Sweden's government on March 2 is set to introduce to the parliament a bill to restore conscription this summer for all Swedes born after 1999. Compulsory military service is set to last for 11 months.

The measure is expected to be adopted by parliament.

 

 Sweden is not a NATO member but has signed the alliance's Partnership for Peace program launched in 1994 to develop military cooperation between NATO and non-member countries.

The Nordic and Baltic region's only non-aligned countries, Finland and Sweden, have stepped up their military cooperation with the United States following concerns over Russia's increased military activity in northern Europe. Finland shares a 1,340 km-long border with Russia.

 

 Russia has warned against Sweden and Finland joining NATO, an issue that has been debated in both countries.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP</s>On Thursday, the Swedish government will announce the reintroduction of conscription as of this summer, reported Swedish public service television (SVT).

Sweden has had conscription for men since 1901. Since 2010, that also included women, but from that year, the obligation to carry out military basic training has,

 in practice, lain dormant. In June 2009, the Swedish parliament said that conscription would be resting in peace.

From the 1st of July, conscription will again become active, initially for those born in the years 1999 and 2000. 13,000 young Swedes will be called into service, and around 4,000 volunteers and conscripts will be given training for each of the next two years.

‘If we are to have full strength, and advanced combat units, there must be a voluntary system that is complemented by conscription’, said Defence Minister, Peter Hultqvist, to SVT.</s>Sweden is to re-introduce military conscription next year due to difficulties filling the ranks on a voluntary basis at a time of increased security concerns, the defence minister said on Thursday.

Non-aligned Sweden ended compulsory military service in 2010 but military activity in the Baltic region has increased following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, prompting Sweden to step up its military preparedness.

The decision to reintroduce the draft will cover men and women born in 1999 or later, though only a small minority will be selected to serve.

“We have had trouble staffing the military units on a voluntary basis and that needs to be addressed somehow,” Swedish defence minister Peter Hultqvist told public service radio SR.

Military service was the norm for young Swedish men during the Cold War but conscription was gradually watered down after the collapse of the Soviet Union as war in the region looked increasingly unlikely.

But a resurgent Russia and tensions over the conflict in Ukraine have left politicians on both sides of the aisle looking to boost military capability and address the lack of talent keen on making a career as a professional soldier.

Signs of the lack of military preparedness have cropped up in recent years, as when Russian warplanes carrying out a mock bombing run on Sweden in 2013 caught air defences napping.

The government’s decision entails the call-up of 4,000 men and women for military training in 2018 and 2019 and Hultqvist told SR that motivation would be an important factor when selecting the recruits for service.

Sofia Hultgren, who turns 17 later this year and thus could be drafted in coming years, said many young Swedes viewed lengthy careers as military professionals as something odd and old-fashioned.

“I think many see it as something lame, something your father did, when there are so much other fun things to do,” Ms Hultgren, a student said.

Still, she welcomed the reintroduction of military service and said she consider such training even if she did not want to make it a career.

“I think this can give a feeling of comfort. Conscription strengthens our defence when we see so much ugliness in the world,” she said.

A government investigation last year found that with unemployment near zero among the talented youngsters the armed forces targets, only about 2,500 were recruited annually while the military needed 4,000.

The wages for professional soldiers run well below the national average for the age group, providing little monetary incentive, while the pool of potential recruits, primarily former conscripts from before 2010, has steadily shrunk.

“This buffer is now exhausted and that leaves great challenges in recruiting,” said Johan Osterberg, a researcher in staffing at the Swedish Defence University.

Swedish military expenditure has fallen from 2.5 per cent of GDP in 1991, around the time the Soviet Union collapsed, to 1.1 per cent of GDP in 2015, data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) showed.

Sweden, which is not a NATO member, has since increased spending and reassigned troops to the Baltic Sea island of Gotland besides urging local governments to step up contingency planning for a future war.</s>STOCKHOLM (Sputnik) — The Swedish government said Thursday it has decided to re-activate conscription from January 1, 2018 to boost military readiness in light of growing security threats in Europe.

"The security environment in Europe and in Sweden's vicinity has deteriorated and the all-volunteer recruitment hasn't provided the Armed Forces with enough trained personnel. The re-activating of the conscription is needed for military readiness," the government said in a statement

"The Armed Forces is planning for 4,000 recruits annually in basic military training in 2018 and 2019," the statement said.

Sweden, which has not seen armed conflicts on its territory in two centuries, abolished conscription in 2010.</s>Last week, Sweden was all over U.S. news, and for all the wrong reasons.

First, President Trump seemingly referred in a speech to a phantom terrorist attack there. Amid puzzled reactions, he clarified that he was referencing reports of violence committed by refugees, tweeting that “The FAKE NEWS media is trying to say that large scale immigration in Sweden is working out just beautifully.”

Just a couple of days later, it appeared that Trump was vindicated — or at least provided a fresh anecdote — when a riot broke out in a suburb of Stockholm that is home mostly to immigrants. No one was seriously injured, though some shops and cars were vandalized.

Acolytes of Trump have latched on to Sweden's troubles with refugee assimilation as a supporting example for Trump's travel ban and other draconian immigration measures.

So when Sweden's defense minister announced a reintroduction of army conscription Thursday, it might have seemed at first like another vindication — things are getting so bad there that they need to call in troops. But what's really happening is a harking back to the Cold War era.

“We have a Russian annexation of Crimea, we have the aggression in Ukraine, we have more exercise activities in our neighborhood. So we have decided to build a stronger national defense,” Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist said.

In recent years, Sweden has been caught underprepared in a number of incidents, including near misses between Russian aircraft and civilian airliners, and airspace violations by Russia. Speaking to Swedish television, Hultqvist said the “security environment in Europe and in Sweden's vicinity has deteriorated.”

Conscription was discontinued in 2010. It will restart in 2018. The Swedish armed forces are relatively small. A government investigation last year, cited by Reuters, found that about 2,500 soldiers were recruited annually. The defense ministry is hoping to raise that number to 4,000, which it will choose out of the 13,000 men and women soon to be called in for enrollment. Before 2010, Sweden only conscripted men.

Voluntary enrollment has dropped as wages for professional soldiers dip further below the average earnings for young Swedes. Youth unemployment is near zero in Sweden.

Unlike Norway, Denmark and all the Baltic states, Sweden is “unaligned” and not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. But with growing Russia aggression in the region and the United States signaling a hands-off attitude toward its defense posture in Europe — not to mention the Trump administration's reputed ties with Russian interests — Scandinavia is headed back into a period of heightened war readiness.</s>Sweden is to reintroduce conscription due to difficulties filling the ranks on a voluntary basis at a time of increased security concerns, the defence minister has said.

Sweden ended compulsory military service in 2010 but military activity in the Baltic region has increased after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, prompting Sweden to strengthen its military preparedness.

The draft will cover men and women born in 1999 or later, though only a small minority will be selected to serve.

The defence minister said the move was in response to a deteriorating security environment in Europe.



“We have had trouble staffing the military units on a voluntary basis and that needs to be addressed somehow,” Peter Hultqvist told public service radio.

Military service was the norm for young Swedish men during the cold war but conscription was watered down after the collapse of the Soviet Union as the prospect of conflict in the region faded.

But a resurgent Russia and tensions over the battle in Ukraine have prompted politicians to consider bolster military capability while addressing the shortfall of people willing to pursue a career as a professional soldier.

The lack of military preparedness has been exposed in recent years, such as when Russian warplanes carrying out a mock bombing run on Sweden in 2013 caught air defences off guard.

The government’s decision entails the call-up of 4,000 men and women for military training in 2018-19. Hultqvist said motivation would be an important factor when selecting recruits.

Sofia Hultgren, who turns 17 this year and could be drafted in coming years, said many young Swedes viewed lengthy careers as military professionals as odd and old-fashioned.

“I think many see it as something lame, something your father did, when there are so much other fun things to do,” Hultgren, a student, told Reuters.

However, she welcomed the reintroduction of military service and said she would consider such training, even if she did not want to make it a career.

“I think this can give a feeling of comfort. Conscription strengthens our defence when we see so much ugliness in the world,” Hultgren said.

A government investigation last year found that, with unemployment near zero, only about 2,500 young people were recruited annually, while the military needed 4,000.

The wages for professional soldiers run well below the national average for the age group, providing little monetary incentive, while the pool of potential recruits, primarily former conscripts from before 2010, has dwindled.

“This buffer is now exhausted and that leaves great challenges in recruiting,” said Johan Österberg, a staffing researcher at the Swedish Defence University.

Swedish military expenditure has fallen from 2.5% of GDP in 1991, around the time the Soviet Union collapsed, to 1.1% in 2015, data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute shows.

Sweden, which is not a Nato member, has since increased spending and reassigned troops to the Baltic Sea island of Gotland. It has also urged local governments to increase contingency plans for war.</s>STOCKHOLM: Sweden is to reintroduce compulsory military service, seven years after abandoning it, to respond to global security challenges including Russia's assertive behaviour in the Baltic Sea region, Stockholm said on Thursday (Mar 2).

"We are in a context where Russia has annexed Crimea," Swedish Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist told AFP, adding: "They are doing more exercises in our immediate vicinity."

Sweden has had a professional army, staffed by volunteers, since 2010.

"We saw that our units could not be filled on a voluntary basis. A decision had to be taken to complement the (volunteer) system which is why we are reactivating conscription," Hultqvist said.

A non-NATO member, Sweden has not seen armed conflict on its territory in two centuries. It put conscription on hold in 2010 after it was deemed an unsatisfactory way of meeting the needs of a modern army.

In the past two decades the military's budget has been slashed as its mission was revamped to focus more on peacekeeping operations abroad and less on the country's defence.

But in recent years, concerns have risen about Russia's intentions in the region - with alarms bells ringing after Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014, experts noted.

"The new security situation is also a reality, partly in the form of Russian power politics which has long been underestimated and downplayed," Wilhelm Agrell, a security expert at Lund University, told AFP.

Since the winter of 2014, "we've seen Russia as expansive and prepared to use violence to benefit its own interests," Agrell said.

But, "today Sweden has neither the possibility nor the political will to stay away from a conflict" in the Baltic Sea region, he added.

In June 2015, US think tank Cepa published a report claiming Russia had held exercises with 33,000 troops aimed at practising an invasion of Sweden's Baltic Sea island of Gotland, among other sites.

Just three months earlier, the Swedish government had decided to remilitarise Gotland, where the last barracks had been decommissioned in 2005. Around 150 men have been stationed there since September last year.

Russian fears also came to the fore in October 2014, when Sweden launched a massive but unsuccessful hunt for a foreign submarine - suspected to be Russian - in the Stockholm archipelago over an eight-day period.

Sweden first introduced compulsory military service in 1901 but halted it in 2010 and replaced it with a volunteer army. But a military career had little appeal to generations of Swedes who had never set foot inside barracks.

Thursday's decision by the minority Social Democratic-led government means all Swedes - male and female - born in 1999 or later will be eligible for conscription as of Jul 1, 2017.

Mandatory military service, which will last for 11 months, will begin Jan 1, 2018.

As of Jul 1, all Swedes born after 1999 will be contacted and asked to answer a questionnaire. Based on their answers, 13,000 people will be mobilised.

Of those, only 4,000 will be called up each year after Jan 1, 2018. For the first time, conscription will apply to women.

"It's very important to emphasise that military service is for girls and guys," Hultqvist said. "It is important for the military to have a gender equal profile," he added.

The reactivation of conscription is supported by both the government and right-wing opposition.

In 2015, they had already agreed to increase military spending, granting the defence an additional 1.1 billion euros ($1.18 billion) over the period 2016-2020.

On defence issues, Sweden has a close dialogue with neighbouring Finland, which in turn shares a 1,340-kilometre border with Russia.

Sweden and Finland - the Nordic and Baltic region's only non-aligned countries - have recently stepped up their military cooperation with the US.

That followed an increase in Russian military activity in the region, including several airspace violations and war planes allegedly flying without their identifying transponders.

Russia has repeatedly warned Sweden and Finland against joining NATO, an issue regularly debated in both countries.</s>johan_h/iStock/Thinkstock(STOCKHOLM) — The Swedish government announced a decision on Thursday to re-activate a military draft beginning next year.

Citing “the security environment in Europe and in Sweden’s vicinity” which it says has “deteriorated,” the Swedish government said it is looking to bring in 4,000 recruits per year in 2018 and 2019. That figure will increase to 5,000 in 2020, 6,000 in 2021, and 8,000 from 2022 to 2025.

The reason it has chosen conscription for those efforts is because “all-volunteer recruitment hasn’t provided the Armed Forces with enough trained personnel.”

In 2016, the government said, the Armed Forces “lacked 1,000 active squad leaders, soldiers and sailors as well as 7,000 reservists.”

Conscription will include both men and women.
The government of Sweden submits a bill to the Riksdag to reintroduce conscription this summer in response to new global security challenges.