Zebra
Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2011
- Messages
- 6,060
- Likes
- 2,303
By GERARD O'DWYER
Published: 26 Oct 2011 15:08
HELSINKI - Sweden's opposition Social Democrats (SDP) have criticized the center-right government's "miscalculated" policy on defense, claiming the decision of Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeld's administration to cut real spending will leave vital areas of the military underfunded in 2012-'13.
The SDP has begun drafting a new defense strategy that aims to strengthen Sweden's military capability by channeling additional funding to core branches and operating units.
Moreover, the SDP wants to reinforce cooperation between the military and Sweden's hard-pressed defense industry in research and development and equipment production programs.
"We want a defense strategy that gives Sweden the military capability that it needs to have, and a level of funding to ensure that our military can conduct all fundamental tasks with greater certainty over budgeting," said Peter Hultqvist, the SDP's spokesman on defense and chairman of the National Defense Committee in the Riksdag, Sweden's parliament.
The SDP's defense strategy is being developed with Sweden's next parliamentary elections in mind. It will prioritize funding for core rapid deployment operating units and equipment procurement, to ensure the Swedish military has a constant and credible level of available and highly trained manpower. The strategy also will ensure that the military has modern weaponry and support systems to fulfill its defense roles, both domestic and international.
"Sweden's defense and security policy must be based on a solid foundation," Hultqvist said. "The Armed Forces must be given a stable environment under which to develop. The financial framework must be proportionate to the tasks undertaken. We will continue to demand efficiency, but budget and saving processes cannot be implemented without considering the consequences. Above all, what we propose is characterized by realism."
The SDP also favors strengthening Sweden's defense structures, in a national and regional context, in alliance with its Nordic neighbors and the European Union. The party's defense strategy would include more support for industry, including the provision of financial support to find export markets for innovative Swedish technologies, such as the Navy's A26 next-generation submarine project, Hultqvist said.
The running criticism of the government's military spending policy took a new twist Oct. 21, when Hultqvist filed a complaint against Defense Minister Sten Tolgfors.
The complaint, which was filed with the Parliamentary Committee on the Constitution (PCC), claims that Tolgfors intervened to block a senior military officer from delivering a speech that questioned Sweden's ability to come to the aid of neighboring countries in the event of hostile attacks.
The incident, which the PCC is investigating in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense, is linked to a canceled lecture by Maj. Gen Karlis Neretnieks, a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences. The speech, scheduled in September, was to have covered Sweden's ability to honor its declaration of Nordic solidarity with neighboring countries, which was reached last spring.
According to Hultqvist's complaint, Deputy Defense Minister Hâ– kan Jevrell contacted Neretnieks and asked him not to deliver the lecture. Hultqvist's complaint declares that Jevrell's action to stop the speech was "unlawful" under Swedish law.
Sweden's Opposition Drafting Defense Strategy - Defense News
Published: 26 Oct 2011 15:08
HELSINKI - Sweden's opposition Social Democrats (SDP) have criticized the center-right government's "miscalculated" policy on defense, claiming the decision of Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeld's administration to cut real spending will leave vital areas of the military underfunded in 2012-'13.
The SDP has begun drafting a new defense strategy that aims to strengthen Sweden's military capability by channeling additional funding to core branches and operating units.
Moreover, the SDP wants to reinforce cooperation between the military and Sweden's hard-pressed defense industry in research and development and equipment production programs.
"We want a defense strategy that gives Sweden the military capability that it needs to have, and a level of funding to ensure that our military can conduct all fundamental tasks with greater certainty over budgeting," said Peter Hultqvist, the SDP's spokesman on defense and chairman of the National Defense Committee in the Riksdag, Sweden's parliament.
The SDP's defense strategy is being developed with Sweden's next parliamentary elections in mind. It will prioritize funding for core rapid deployment operating units and equipment procurement, to ensure the Swedish military has a constant and credible level of available and highly trained manpower. The strategy also will ensure that the military has modern weaponry and support systems to fulfill its defense roles, both domestic and international.
"Sweden's defense and security policy must be based on a solid foundation," Hultqvist said. "The Armed Forces must be given a stable environment under which to develop. The financial framework must be proportionate to the tasks undertaken. We will continue to demand efficiency, but budget and saving processes cannot be implemented without considering the consequences. Above all, what we propose is characterized by realism."
The SDP also favors strengthening Sweden's defense structures, in a national and regional context, in alliance with its Nordic neighbors and the European Union. The party's defense strategy would include more support for industry, including the provision of financial support to find export markets for innovative Swedish technologies, such as the Navy's A26 next-generation submarine project, Hultqvist said.
The running criticism of the government's military spending policy took a new twist Oct. 21, when Hultqvist filed a complaint against Defense Minister Sten Tolgfors.
The complaint, which was filed with the Parliamentary Committee on the Constitution (PCC), claims that Tolgfors intervened to block a senior military officer from delivering a speech that questioned Sweden's ability to come to the aid of neighboring countries in the event of hostile attacks.
The incident, which the PCC is investigating in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense, is linked to a canceled lecture by Maj. Gen Karlis Neretnieks, a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences. The speech, scheduled in September, was to have covered Sweden's ability to honor its declaration of Nordic solidarity with neighboring countries, which was reached last spring.
According to Hultqvist's complaint, Deputy Defense Minister Hâ– kan Jevrell contacted Neretnieks and asked him not to deliver the lecture. Hultqvist's complaint declares that Jevrell's action to stop the speech was "unlawful" under Swedish law.
Sweden's Opposition Drafting Defense Strategy - Defense News
