Sweden became NATO’s 32nd member on Thursday (March 7). Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson presented the accession documents to the US State Department, ending more than two centuries of neutrality.
Almost two years after membership efforts began, Sweden has officially joined NATO as its 32nd member. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson handed over his country’s accession documents to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Washington.
Kristersson called it a “truly historic day” and thanked the US for its efforts during the trial.
“Sweden is leaving behind 200 years of neutrality and military non-alignment. This is a big step, but at the same time a very natural step,” he said when handing over the Swedish accession certificate.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the new member of the alliance. He explained that Sweden’s accession would make NATO stronger and Sweden and the entire alliance more secure.
“Today’s accession shows that NATO’s door remains open and that every nation has the right to choose its own path,” he added.
Thursday’s official accession came after Hungary officially handed over the approval documents for Sweden’s NATO membership in Washington on the same day.
Hungary, the last NATO member to agree to join, only did so earlier this week. Budapest had delayed its decision because it condemned Stockholm’s decision to join NATO. Hungary also defended itself against allegations of violations of the EU rule of law made against Orbán’s government.
The last time Sweden officially declared war was in the Swedish-Norwegian War of 1814. However, Sweden has taken part in military conflicts, although these have not been officially declared war. Stockholm remained neutral during World War II.
“Finally,” said Swedish Defense Minister Micael Bydén on Thursday. His country will be ready “from the first minute” as it has been preparing for this moment for almost two years.
The Swedish flag is expected to be raised at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday (March 11).
Integration of the armed forces
Sweden is now beginning the process of integration into NATO structures. This also includes integration into the alliance’s defense and deterrence plans. However, this process can take years.
The most immediate change for the Swedish Armed Forces will be greater access to intelligence information.
“Now the tap is open for information that we could not get before joining NATO,” Bydén explained.
According to him, even before Stockholm joined NATO, the Finnish Armed Forces advised their Swedish counterparts to prepare for an intensive post-accession period.
Swedish air and naval forces will be integrated into NATO command structures, such as airborne incident response and maritime surveillance of the Baltic Sea.
The new member has a navy well-coordinated with the Baltic Sea and an air force equipped with locally developed Saab Gripen fighter aircraft. It also has its own defense industry.
“We will continue to do much of what we have done so far, but under the umbrella of NATO membership,” Bydén said.
Another big change will be participation in NATO defense planning. For this purpose, around 250 officers will be sent to NATO headquarters.
This could be a challenge, said Bydén. But Sweden will have five or six years to implement this effectively and replace the personnel in the Swedish Defense Forces sent to NATO headquarters.
[Bearbeitet von Alexandra Brzozowski/Rajnish Singh/Kjeld Neubert]