As it is getting closer to NATO membership, Sweden signed a military agreement with the United States on Sunday that will secure Sweden’s borders and enhance military cooperation while Sweden awaits full entry into NATO.
Commenting on the agreement that also means greater opportunities to carry out military operations together for the US and Sweden, Sweden’s army chief Karl Engelbrektson stressed that being good friends with the US is not wrong when it comes to war.
Engelbrektson described the agreement as a strategic document that will serve as a framework for deepening defense cooperation between the two countries at a time when cooperation has never been more important.
The chief of staff of the US Army (Ground Forces), General James McConville, assured that the United States is fully prepared to defend Sweden considering the fact that the cornerstone of NATO – the principle of collective defense- does not apply to Sweden as things currently stand.
As McConville pointed out, the agreement provides greater opportunities for Sweden during the in many respects uncertain and challenging period of applying for membership in the US-led military bloc.
Noting concerns in Washington about possible military action in the Arctic region, McConville explained that Sweden’s forces are experts in such an environment and can surely share some expertise with the US.
Reiterating McConville’s words that has well-trained soldiers even though they are currently few in number, Engelbrektson also claimed that Stockholm can bring to the table of NATO proficiency in winter combat.
Citing the fundamentally changed security environment, Sweden and Finland broke with their decades-long neutrality stance and decided to formally apply for NATO membership in the wake of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine in late February.
Their bids initially met with strong opposition from Türkiye who accused Sweden and Finland of being guesthouses for terrorist organizations and has still not ratified the nations’ NATO applications.
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