Despite heavy snowfall, on January 27th the Atlantic Council’s International Security Program hosted a delegation of senior officials from the Swedish Ministry of Defense.
Moderated by Atlantic Council Senior Fellow Ian Brzezinski, the discussion centered on the ongoing transformation of the Swedish Armed Forces and Sweden’s role in regional and European security. The discussions focused on Sweden’s Solidarity Declaration with the member state of the European Union and the Nordic region, as well as on the implications of U.S. force posture decisions and the NATO Strategic Concept on Sweden’s defense policy. The Swedish delegation discussed important reforms at the Swedish Ministry of Defense, including an end to conscription within the Swedish armed forces, improved mobilization capabilities for contemporary security threats, and reform of procurement policy. The roundtable discussion is part of the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Initiative on Nordic-Baltic Security.