Sweden To Increase Military Spending By 40%

Sweden's Air Force Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter is seen during the AFX 18 exercise in Amari military air base 

The Guardian/Reuters: Sweden to increase military spending by 40% as tension with Russia grows

Military run down after cold war but Russian activity in Baltic Sea forces hasty rearmament Sweden will increase military spending by about 40% in the next five years and double the number of people conscripted into its armed forces as it aims to strengthen its defence amid growing tensions with Russia, the government has said. 

The country, which is not a member of Nato but enjoys close ties with the alliance, ran down its military forces after the cold war to save money. “We have a situation where the Russian side is willing to use military means to achieve political goals,” the defence minister, Peter Hultqvist, told reporters on Thursday. 

“Based on that, we have a new geopolitical security situation to deal with.” He said the new proposals would mean an increase in the military budget of 27.5bn Swedish kronor ($3.10bn) by 2025. 

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 More News On Sweden Wanting To Increase Military Spending By 40% 

Sweden wants to up defense budget due to regional tensions -- AP 

Sweden to boost military spending by 40 per cent as tensions with Russia increase -- The Telegraph Sweden’s gov’t proposes a 40% increase in defence spending -- Al Jazeera

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