Sverige står inför ett viktigt val angående vad som kommer att ersätta Jas 39 Gripen-planen. Beslutet, som ska tas senast 2030, kan påverka svensk fred och frihet, generera tusentals högkvalificerade jobb och innebära stora ekonomiska konsekvenser.

Försvarsmakten utreder tre alternativ för framtiden: fortgå med inhemsk utveckling av stridsflygplan via Saab, ingå i ett internationellt konsortium för att bygga nästa generations plan, eller upphöra med att utveckla stridsflyg och köpa utländsk teknik.

Ett svenskt byte till utlandsk teknik kan vara dyrt och riskerar att inbringa negativa konsekvenser för nationell säkerhet, enligt Saab VD Micael Johansson och Socialdemokraternas försvarspolitiska talesperson, Peter Hultqvist. […]

Saabs egna siffror pekar på att ett F-35-plan kostar Norge och Kanada nästan tre gånger så mycket som ett Gripen-plan, sett över en livscykel.

För svensk del är då samhällsvinsterna inte med i beräkningen. Tusentals högkvalificerade jobb i Sverige, som både sprider kunnande och ger skatteintäkter. Läs artikel

The agreement which is submitted for ratification defines the common point in the Baltic Sea, where the boundaries of exclusive economic zones and continental shelf of Lithuania, Russia and Sweden cross over.

This agreement implements the provisions of the article 2 of the agreement between Lithuania and Russia concerning the delimitation of exclusive economic zones and continental shelf in the Baltic Sea, which was signed on 24 October 1997 and ratified on 19 October 1999 by the Seimas of Lithuania. The article 2 defines the coordinates of the final point which is on the boundary of the exclusive zone of Sweden.

It is international practice that such common points are defined with the participation of a third country, and in this particular case Sweden is the country.

The ratification of the agreement would allow the start of legal settlement concerning the boundaries of exclusive economic zones and continental shelf between Lithuania and Sweden. These boundaries have not yet been defined with Sweden.

“The agreement with Sweden would be an important step in completing the definition of Lithuania’s state terrestrial borders, exclusive economic zones and continental shelf“, Minister V.Ušackas said at the Seimas. Läs artikel

As the war in Ukraine continues into its third year of fighting, all parties appear more willing to escalate than to bring it to an end. In his annual “State of the Nation” address, President Vladimir Putin warned NATO nations that they “must, in the end, understand all this truly threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons, and therefore the destruction of civilization,” if they continue to arm Ukraine and consider sending troops. Even as far back as June 2022, Putin warned U.S. officials against sending long-range missiles to Ukraine, stating, “We will strike at those targets which we have not yet been hitting.”

However, American policymakers and analysts seem to think that Putin won’t put his money where his mouth is when it comes to escalation. Adam Kinzinger and Ben Hodges assured readers that Putin is bluffing with his threats of nuclear escalation. NATO’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, dismissed the likelihood of Western aid to Ukraine leading to Russian retaliation. The Biden administration seems to agree, having recently allowed Ukraine to use U.S. weapons to strike inside Russian territory—a red line the administration previously refused to cross. […]

American policymakers and analysts today should exercise caution in interpreting Russian signals. Far too many are calling on the United States to plow through Russia’s red lines and continue its salami-slice escalation over the Ukraine conflict. It is important to note that there are cases throughout history where a country did not escalate a conflict or crisis after an adversary crossed its red line. With Russia’s enormous arsenal of nuclear weapons, however, it would be a risky gamble for American policymakers to assume that Russia would not eventually escalate. As Carl von Clausewitz observed, “In the whole range of human activities, war most closely resembles a game of cards.” With stakes this high, America should be cautious, lest it lose all its chips. Läs artikel

The Defence Ministry finds it premature at this point to inform public about specific potential changes regarding the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with the United States and claimed that over the past months Slovakia has built a certain position in the negotiations that Bratislava doesn’t wish to undermine, TASR learnt from the Defence Ministry press department on Saturday. ”The Defence MInistry doesn’t approach changes to the DCA framework recklessly. We fairly informed our American partners that we’re not happy with some parts of the DCA and their subsequent practical interpretations. The American side is willing to hold talks about the changes,” claimed the ministry. After assuming his office, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) announced that it will be necessary to revise the DCA treaty, concluded in 2022, over what he sees as its ”unfortunate wording”. The DCA regulates the use of military airports Malacky-Kuchyna and Sliac by the United States forces. It is to stay in effect for ten years and subsequently can either stay in force or get repudiated with a cancellation period of one year. Läs artikel

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for resuming production of intermediate- and shorter-range nuclear-capable missiles banned under a now-scrapped treaty with the United States.

Under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty (INF), signed by Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan in 1987, the two superpowers agreed to abandon their nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (about 310 to 3,410 miles).

The accord eliminated an entire category of nuclear weapons and initiated comprehensive on-site inspections for verification, according to the Arms Control Association. Under the terms of the treaty, the U.S. and Russia destroyed 2,692 short-, medium- and intermediate-range missiles by the treaty’s June 1, 1991, implementation deadline, according to the Arms Control Association. Läs artikel

Two Russian submarines faced off against each other in a simulated attack in the Baltic Sea, where NATO conducted its own military drills at a time of heightened tensions between the alliance and Moscow.

The NATO accession of Finland and Sweden prompted by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine means that the body of water is surrounded by alliance members, earning it the nickname ”NATO Lake.” […]

The state-run Tass news agency reported on June 25 that following anti-submarine maneuvers, the diesel-electric submarines Novorossiysk and Dmitrov conducted a training duel. It said the crew of Novorossiysk ”carried out a torpedo attack” using ammunition without a warhead. […]

While the vessels are considered inferior to nuclear-powered submarines, the Novorossiysk is equipped with advanced sonar and can carry weapons—including Kalibr cruise missiles, which can be used against both land and sea targets.

Russia appears to be relying more on its submarine fleet to convey power. It recently deployed a flotilla that included its nuclear-powered submarine Kazan to Cuba, where it conducted military drills in the Caribbean in international waters close to the U.S. coast. Läs artikel

Riksdagen behandlade i plenum fredagen den 28 juni försvarssamarbetet med Förenta staterna, det vill säga DCA-avtalet. Det handlade om ärendets första behandling utifrån utrikesutskottets betänkande (UtUB 5/2024 rd). Efter debatten godkände riksdagen lagförslagets innehåll enligt utrikesutskottets betänkande.[…]

I debatten betonades också betydelsen av samarbete mellan riksdagsgrupperna i stora utrikes- och säkerhetspolitiska frågor:

– Utrikesutskottet lägger fram sitt DCA-betänkande enhälligt. Att vi kan bygga upp konsensus och samförstånd i stora utrikes- och säkerhetspolitiska frågor som gäller existens är en historiskt stor sak, konstaterade Kiljunen. Läs pressmeddelande

Russia protested to Japan on Friday about Tokyo’s plans to hold joint military exercises on the island of Hokkaido and accused Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of placing his country “on a path to dangerous escalation”.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry, in a note on its website, said a protest had been issued to Japan’s embassy in connection with the announcement that drills would be held with Germany and Spain later this month.

The note said Tokyo was told it was “categorically unacceptable” to engage in military activity off Russia’s far eastern coast, particularly taking into account the participation of NATO members located far from the region. Läs artikel

Det er den amerikanske 6. flåten som har publisert bilder av ubåten, ledsaget av krysseren USS «Normandy».

USS «Tennessee» tilhører Ohio-klassen og er en såkalt kjernefysisk ballistisk missil-ubåt, også kjent under akronymet SSBN. Våpensystemet omtales som «det mest destruktive våpenssysystemet» USA noensinne har bygget.

– Jeg har ikke sett noen offentlige bekreftelse på at en kjernefysisk ballistisk missil-ubåt operer så nært Norge siden den kalde krigen.

Det sier atomvåpenforskeren Hans Kristensen til VG. Läs artikel

[…] Onsdag kom nyheten om at USAs europeiske kommando (EUCOM), vil investere i overkant av to milliarder kroner i oppussing og utbygging av norske flystasjoner. Investeringen fra USA kommer av et sterkt ønske om muligheten for rask utplassering av tropper i nordområdene, samt et styrket luftforsvar.

Områdene i nord har de siste årene blitt en stor prioritet både for Nato, og for EUCOM, skriver den amerikanske forsvarsavisen. […]

Det er EUCOM som vil finansiere det store løftet på blant annet Rygge, som amerikanske styrker ser for seg å kunne få bruk for ved en eventuell krise eller krigssituasjon.  Paul Audije, sjef for Army Corps of Engineers i Europa, forteller at investeringen er et viktig steg i avskrekkingsarbeidet.

– Tiltakene på Rygge og andre lignende steder er nøkkelen til å avskrekke aggresjon mot Nato og sikre beredskap, sier han til Stars and Stripes. Läs artikel

The Letter of Intent signed this week by Norway’s Bjørn Arild Gram and Denmark’s Troels Lund Poulsen includes a stronger bilateral cooperation on education and training, drones and air defence.

“It will contribute to enhanced Norwegian, Nordic and allied security,” Gram says in a statement.

He highlights the importance of cooperation in the North.

“It is especially important for Norway to cooperate more closely with Denmark on our areas of responsibility in the North Atlantic and Arctic,” Gram underlines.

“These are areas of strategic interest for both NATO and Russia,” he explains.

The two neighbouring Nordic countries have many of the same kind of military hardware, including Leopard-2 tanks, F-35 fighter jets and SEAHAWK helicopters, something that facilitates joint training and activities. Oslo and Copenhagen now also intend to cooperate about air defence and surveillance. Both countries are in the process of acquiring more air defence systems. Läs artikel