Olle Mobergh Leading Efforts to Integrate Sweden’s Defense Forces with NATO
Olle Mobergh, Sweden’s representative to the NATO Act, has been hard at work since late spring 2022, along with his colleagues, to integrate Sweden’s defense forces with NATO’s systems and routines. The office is located at the NATO base in Norfolk, Virginia in the USA.
Mobergh stated that the most challenging part of the integration process has been getting the Swedes to understand the fundamental change in perspective. “Instead of Sweden defending Sweden – we are part of an alliance, a country of 32. This means a shift in focus for Swedes in general and the Armed Forces in particular,” Mobergh explained.
According to Mobergh, it is not just the Armed Forces that need to change. The Coast Guard, the Police, the Customs, and the Government Office also need to prepare. “Sweden has learned that from Finland, which went through the same process,” Mobergh added.
Mobergh expressed concerns about the barrage of information that will come with the integration. “There will be colossal amounts of documents that are expected to be answered. That more people are needed is beyond all reasonable doubt,” Mobergh stated.
Typically, it takes up to three years for countries to be fully integrated into NATO. However, Bruce Hutchinson, who has been involved in reviewing what Sweden’s armed forces need to do to be fully integrated, noted that they were surprised by the progress made after just six to eight months of meetings. “Already after six to eight months, we were in a situation where we could in practice shut down our working group and state that Sweden was fully integrated into NATO,” Hutchinson said.
The main setback for Sweden has been its communication system, which needs to be partially replaced in order to communicate with NATO’s systems. Hutchinson also mentioned that discussions about nuclear weapons and intelligence were more confidential and took place separately.
Once the Swedish flag is raised, Sweden will have access to the last of NATO’s secrets and encryption systems. Mobergh expressed that it will be a significant and moving moment.
The integration of Sweden’s defense forces with NATO shows the country’s commitment to working with its international allies and staying updated with modern defense systems and protocols.