Sweden's civil defense minister has warned that his country could soon face war and urged citizens to join voluntary defense organizations to prepare for a possible armed conflict.
In a rousing speech that noted his country's highly anticipated NATO entry this year and ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine, Carl-Oskar Bohlin urged citizens to ask themselves: “Who are you if it happens?” comes to war?”.
At the Swedish annual conference “Folk och Försvar” (Society and Defense) in Sälen last weekend, the minister said: “It is human to want to see life as you wish it to be and not as it actually is. “
“For a nation for which peace has been a pleasant companion for nearly 210 years, the idea that it is an immovable constant is quite natural.” But consoling yourself with that conclusion is more dangerous than it has been for a long time more.
“War could break out in Sweden… The world faces a security situation with greater risks than at any time since the end of the Second World War.”
“Are you a private person? Have you thought about whether you have time to join a volunteer defense organization? If not: move!' he defined.
Sweden's Minister for Civil Defense Carl-Oskar Bohlin speaks during the National Society and Defense Conference in Salen, Sweden, January 7, 2023
Soldiers from the Swedish Army's Gotland Regiment P18 camouflage their armored vehicles during a field exercise near Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland, May 17, 2022
Armored vehicles and tanks from the Swedish army are taking part in a military exercise called “Cold Response 2022”, bringing together around 30,000 soldiers from NATO member states as well as Finland and Sweden, as Russia invades Ukraine
U.S. and Swedish troops evacuate a wounded comrade while participating in a war simulation
Bohlin did not claim that the threat of war in Sweden was imminent.
However, he stressed that the current state of the world and increasing tensions between East and West required a response at all levels to ensure that Swedish society was prepared for future conflicts.
Citing the example of Ukraine's brave and effective defense of Kiev in the first days of the war in March 2022, Bohlin said his country must accelerate its efforts to bring about civilian readiness and become a war-ready society.
“Putin didn't understand that in 2014 he kicked down that door in every Ukrainian's house. By the time of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, the Ukrainian people – individually and collectively – had formulated their response…
“The Russian attack forces faced the combined force of the entire Ukrainian society.” Such efforts can only be implemented quickly enough if the vast majority are aware of the situation and understand what is at stake.
“Social resilience requires exactly that: situational awareness… Awareness must be translated into practical action.” Measures that actually raise the threshold.
“Everyone needs to understand that in the situation we find ourselves in, time is perhaps our most valuable non-renewable resource.” “If there's one thing that keeps me up at night, it's the feeling that things are moving too slowly “, he said.
Bohlin then addressed everyone from local government officials to individual citizens directly, encouraging them to take steps to prepare.
“I don’t know what to do!” I sometimes hear. Let me answer with a few questions.
“Are you a senior official in an emergency agency? Okay, then have you built your war organization and defined which activities need to be maintained and which ones don't? Have you ensured compliance with protective security and the necessary access to alternative locations?
“Are you a municipal commissioner?” Okay, then have you secured the war organization, the refuge points, the emergency water plan and the replacement supply of food, heating and electricity for the health and social services?
“Are you an employee? Okay, then have you asked your employer what role you would play in your workplace's war organization?
“Are you a private person? Okay, then have you taken responsibility for your home preparation? Have you thought about whether you have time to join a volunteer defense organization?
Each speech ended with a simple call to action: “Move!”
Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson issued a similar warning to Bohlin on Monday, arguing that conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East showed that “the world has become more dangerous than it was a year ago.”
Residents throw furniture out the window of a destroyed high-rise building after a Russian missile attack in central Kiev on January 3, 2024
Utility workers repair water pipes in front of a high-rise building destroyed after a Russian missile attack in central Kiev on January 3, 2024, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
“If you haven’t started yet, you’re behind – if you don’t know how, you can either ask someone who has started or get answers from the Swedish Civil Protection Agency. It’s that simple,” concluded Bohlin.
Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson issued a similar warning on Monday, arguing that conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East showed that “the world has become more dangerous than it was a year ago.”
“An armed attack on Sweden cannot be ruled out,” Jonson said.
“War can come to us too.” These grave times require clear vision, ability to act and perseverance – a clear vision to understand that Russia’s goal remains the eradication of a free Ukraine and the creation of a Europe where “might makes right has “with buffer states and spheres of interest.”
Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompted Sweden and Finland, two countries that had remained neutral for decades, to apply to join NATO.
But Turkey, a member of the security bloc, has delayed ratifying Sweden's request for more than a year, accusing the country of being too lenient toward groups Ankara sees as a threat to its security, including Kurdish militants and members of a network , which blames Ankara for a failed coup in 2016.
However, in December, Turkey's Foreign Affairs Committee finally approved Sweden's NATO membership application, moving the Nordic country closer to membership in the Western military alliance.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) shakes hands with Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (right) as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg looks on (file image)
The Turkish Foreign Affairs Committee approved Sweden's entry into NATO last month
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, several non-NATO countries have tried to join the bloc, including Finland, which joined in April without much backlash or opposition
Sweden's accession protocol must now be approved in the General Assembly for the final phase of the legislative process in Turkey.
Although no date has been set, approval is expected within a few weeks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would then sign it into law, capping a process that frustrated some of Ankara's allies and tested its Western ties.
Turkish lawmakers said Stockholm must take further steps to crack down on the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an armed group that has been designated a “terrorist organization” by Turkey, the EU and the US.
Some members fled Turkish persecution and subsequent crises in the Middle East in the late 1980s.
Sweden extradited a Kurdish refugee to Turkey in December and was under pressure to meet its demands in return for NATO membership.
Last month, Erdogan linked Sweden's ratification of NATO membership to the U.S. Congress's approval of a Turkish request to purchase 40 new F-16 fighter jets and kits to modernize Turkey's existing fleet.
While NATO member Hungary has also not ratified Sweden's membership, Turkey is seen as the main obstacle to the Scandinavian country's inclusion in the military alliance and strengthening its defense in the Baltic Sea region.