SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Sweden to double spending on civil defence
Stockholm, Sept 12 (AFP) Sep 12, 2024
Sweden's government said Thursday it plans to double the budget for civil defence over the next three years to prepare for times of war.

Civil Defence Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said the government was adding another two billion kronor ($192 million) to this year's civil defence budget which it hopes will grow to 15 billion kronor by 2028.

"The security situation remains serious and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future," Bohlin told reporters.

The added funds are aimed at strengthening healthcare and rescue services, food and drinking water supplies, transport and energy infrastructure.

"Lessons from Ukraine show the importance of securing key societal functions," the government said in a statement.

"Russia has actively sought to disrupt Ukraine's energy infrastructure, causing massive damage to transport infrastructure, among other things, which has affected many parts of Ukrainian society."

Already in April, Sweden upped its 2024 civil defence budget by 385 million kronor.

However, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency said last year that it believed an annual budget of 20 billion kronor was needed.

Bohlin made waves in January when he told a defence conference "there could be war in Sweden".

Shortly after, the commander of Sweden's armed forces, Micael Byden, said Swedes needed to "mentally prepare for war".

Sweden ended two centuries of military non-alignment in March when it joined NATO after it applied to join the US-led military alliance in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Sweden drastically slashed its defence spending after the end of the Cold War but reversed course after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea.

In March 2022, after Russia invaded Ukraine, Stockholm announced it would increase spending again, aiming to dedicate two percent of GDP to defence "as soon as possible".

Late last year, the government said military spending would exceed the two-percent goal in 2024.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Unexpected Dust Patterns Found on Uranus Moons Confound Scientists
Earth-based telescopes offer a fresh look at cosmic dawn
Breakthrough hybrid model restores orbit accuracy for BeiDou-3 satellites

24/7 Energy News Coverage
World's first non-silicon 2D computer developed
From plastic trash to solar hydrogen a practical method emerges
Auto sector reels from China's rare earth restrictions

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
AI-enabled control system helps autonomous drones stay on target in uncertain environments
Japan says two Chinese aircraft carriers seen in Pacific
NATO learns as Ukraine's 'creativity' changes battlefield

24/7 News Coverage
'No doubt' Canadian firm will be first to extract deep sea minerals: CEO
What is the high seas treaty?
World leaders urged to step up for overexploited oceans



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.