Next year, Sweden will send a combat battalion of approximately 600 soldiers to the NATO Forward Land Forces (FLF). The FLF are multinational forces deployed by NATO in eight Eastern European countries. This marks that Sweden is now a NATO member.
Before applying for NATO membership, Sweden had maintained a policy of neutrality in military affairs since the Napoleonic Wars, after which Sweden adopted a policy of “non-alignment in peace and neutrality in war”. The country was neutral in both world wars—though it cooperated with both Germany and Allied nations on various occasions during World War II—and chose not to join NATO when it was founded in 1949.
The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine (24–25 February 2022) spurred a shift in public opinion, prompting Sweden to apply for NATO membership alongside Finland on 18 May 2022.
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In days following Russia’s invasion, a Novus poll conducted found 41% in favor of NATO membership and 35% opposed. The first poll to register majority (51%) support for NATO membership came on 4 March 2022, and support grew substantially since then.
Sweden became NATO’s 32nd Ally on 7th March 2024. Now the blue and white NATO flag is waving next to the Swedish flag at the Revingehed military base in Sweden. If an allied country is attacked, Sweden is now obliged to send soldiers.
The Secretary General welcomed Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to NATO Headquarters for a flag-raising ceremony to mark Sweden’s accession. Speaking ahead of the ceremony, the Secretary General thanked Prime Minister Kristersson for his strong personal leadership and commitment to leading Sweden into NATO. He said: “Sweden has taken its rightful place at NATO’s table under the shield of Article 5 protection – the ultimate guarantee of our freedom and security. All for one and one for all.”
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NATO membership means that Sweden is rapidly equipping itself. The defense budget increases by more than SEK 27 billion between 2023 and 2024, an increase of 28 per cent.
Noting that NATO will mark its 75th anniversary this year, Secretary General Stoltenberg underlined that the transatlantic bond between Europe and North America has ensured the member countries’ freedom and security. “Sweden will help to build an even stronger NATO at a critical time for Euro-Atlantic security,” he said, adding that “joining NATO is good for Sweden, good for stability in the North, and good for the security of our whole Alliance.”
Sweden – New Member of NATO, reporting by by Tor Kjolberg