The Economist (20201024) by calibre

Author:calibre
Language: eng
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Tags: news, The Economist
Publisher: calibre
Published: 2020-10-22T23:49:23.870000+00:00

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Less neutral, more beefy

Sweden embarks on its largest military build-up for decades

The reason is Russia

Oct 19th 2020 |

“AN ARMED ATTACK against Sweden cannot be ruled out,” warned Peter Hultqvist, Sweden’s defence minister, shortly after he introduced a new defence bill on October 14th. It promises the country’s largest military expansion for 70 years. The reason is plain. Russia’s assertive behaviour across Europe, from invasion to assassination, has alarmed Swedes.

In recent years, Sweden has accused Russia of violating its air space and waters several times. Accordingly, it has deepened military ties with NATO (though not a member of the alliance) and with America and its Nordic neighbours. If the new bill is passed, as is likely, the defence budget is set to rise by SKr27.5bn ($3.1bn) between 2021 and 2025, a 40% boost that will bring expenditure to around 1.5% of GDP—the highest level for 17 years.

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