Sweden
boosts defense spending, NATO goal in mind
Nov 22, 05:17 PM
Members or the Swedish Amphibious
Regiment fire a weapon on Sept. 13, 2022, in Stora Skogsskar, Sweden. As part
of the Archipelago Endeavour military drill, the Swedish Army and U.S. Marines
join in this training for the fourth time. (Photo by Jonas Gratzer/Getty
Images)
HELSINKI
— Sweden’s newly elected center-right government has prioritized spending on
defense-strengthening measures in its draft budget bill for 2023, eying to edge
the country closer to NATO’s target quota.
Sweden,
along with fellow unaligned Nordic nation Finland, is currently awaiting unanimous
consent from NATO members to join the alliance, a process that could reach its
conclusion in 2023 despite reservations about their applications being expressed
by Hungary and Turkey.
The
“Total Defense” focus in the Swedish government’s defense budgetary plan aims
to raise military spending to 2% of gross domestic product by 2026. The defense
budget is on course to grow by $800 million in 2023, backed by higher capital
investments to strengthen cyber-defense, signals intelligence, defense
preparedness and the expanded intake of military personnel.
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