Country embarks on largest rearmament programme for decades as it protects itself from potential Russian expansion in the Baltic
Sweden’s most extensive military build-up for decades is beginning to bear fruit as the country prepares to join Nato.
Jens Stoltenberg, Nato secretary-general, believes it is “absolutely possible” that Sweden could become the 32nd member of the military alliance when its leaders gather at the landmark Vilnius summit next week, despite opposition from Turkey.
With more than 120 Leopard 2 main battle tanks, a large air force equipped with domestically produced fighter jets, and a formidable navy, the Swedish armed forces will soon be tasked with defending Nato’s newest border – its 2,000-mile Baltic Sea coastline.
Despite its slightly hippyish reputation, Sweden was once one of the most militarised countries in Europe, with hundreds of thousands of conscripted Swedes under arms when the army was at its peak.