Reorganization of the reorganization of the Swedish Army

(Updated on 23 March)

A few weeks ago, I commented on four significant planned changes that Defense Minister Stefan Tolgfors had just announced. To review, these were

• a reduction in the size of the Swedish Army from 20,000 to 12,500 troops,
• the reorgnization of the Army and the Amphibious Corps’s eleven combat battalions into eight,
• a reduction in the number of operational Leopard 2 (Stridsvagn 122) tanks from 160 to 80, and
• the consolidation of all initial training for the army at a single base.

I had further argued that these reforms would also mean the end of conscription in Sweden, though that was a bit less clear on paper.

Now, it seems that the defense minister, on the advice of the armed forces, and after reviewing studies of the recent Russo-Georgian War, has decided on a revised plan:

• maintenance of the current size of the Army
• confirmation of those eight fully-deployable combat battalions (an increase from today’s three)
• the addition of four fully-deployable mechanized reserve battalions
• a more formal role for the 22,000 troops of the Home Guard
• an about-face regarding a reduction of the tank force
• a definite policy to end conscription sometime in the next several years
• affirmation of the decision to reduce the Air Force’s fighter fleet to 100 Gripen C/D aircraft
• an increase in the Air Force’s helicopter fleet

While described as a radically different plan in the press, the broad outlines still support what we have been saying about the future of the market for supplying modern land forces. The defense ministry maintains herein its emphasis on supporting international commitments by keeping all forces ready for deployment. Outside its continued support for a fleet of 100 upgraded Gripen fighters, there is no obvious support for Swedish-made weaponry at the expense of imports. Russian behavior of late has made people nervous, but not enough to affect a sea change in the market.