News: Some assembly required – NATO allies and the soon-to-be Allied Sweden are training to keep Gotland safe, 2022-Jul.
After more than 200 years of military freedom of alliance, Sweden is about to join NATO and will contribute to strengthening Euro-Atlantic security as a new ally. During exercise BALTOPS 22, Swedish troops trained with US Marines and other allied forces on the Swedish island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea.
“I’m sorry sir,” said the American lieutenant, “I do not speak Swedish. Is English OK? ”.
“Sure,” said the farmer. In Sweden, practically everyone is multilingual.
The officer introduced himself and explained that his platoon was here on the island of Gotland for exercise Baltic Operations 22 (BALTOPS 22), a US-led military exercise hosted by Sweden. Would it be OK if they cut through the farmer’s property to reach their goal?
“Of course,” said the farmer. With thanks, the lieutenant waved on with his platoon, and soon a line of marines filled with rifles and communications equipment moved down the gravel road and passed a field of poaching cows under a powder blue sky.
Defend the key to the oceans
As the sun shone down on the peaceful rural landscape, the US Marines proceeded to carry out their primary goal: to repel the simulated invasion of Gotland.
The defense of the island is an important part of the larger exercise scenario BALTOPS, which is designed to strengthen the forces’ ability to respond to threats throughout the region, with the ultimate goal of preserving freedom of navigation and safety in the Baltic Sea.
Bucolic in summer and stormy in winter, Gotland is more than just beach cottages and sheep pastures. Gotland is located between the Baltic coasts of Sweden and Latvia (and along the sea route between St. Petersburg and the Russian eclava Kaliningrad) and is the key to controlling the surrounding seas and would be a very valuable goal in all conflicts.
That is why Sweden is determined to defend Gotland and its approximately 60,000 inhabitants against all threats. Doing so may require rapid reinforcement, and Sweden has well-practiced methods for rushing troops to the island. Some are quite conventional – for example, they use a fleet of civilian ferries to tow hundreds of troops and vehicles – and others smaller ones.
During BALTOPS 22, Swedish air traffic controllers landed a C-130 Hercules (which has a wingspan of 40 meters and can weigh over 70,000 kilos with full load depending on the model) on a country road north of the island’s capital Visby while Gripen fighters cut through the sky above. The heavy transport stepped on the asphalt as it taxed, took a turn and devoured a platoon of Swedish Rangers who were towing automatic rifles and anti-tank missiles.
Meanwhile, US Marines practiced landing from the amphibious landing craft USS Gunston Hall. Their light armored vehicles, or LAVs, splashed off the landing craft and drove onto the pebble beach at Gotland’s Tofta training area. They then joined a contingent of Swedish troops and armor from Sweden’s Gotland’s regiment before heading north to repel the intended invaders.
Gotland’s regiment – whose flag carries a heroic ram carrying a red flag, based on the island’s coat of arms – is in itself a sign of the times, after being reactivated in 2018 after a 13-year hibernation.
For its commander, Colonel Magnus Frykvall, the regiment’s mission has never been more relevant, or personal.
“I mean, everything is much more real,” he said, standing on Tofta Beach as U.S. Marines crashed on the rocks behind him.
Russia’s full – scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 was an alarm clock that showed how far this neighbor of the Baltic Sea was willing to go. But Sweden had already introduced new measures to strengthen its defensive position since Russia’s illegal annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula Crimea in 2014. Sweden reintroduced military conscription in 2017 and called thousands of men and women into service. It carried out a powerful information campaign to increase awareness of Sweden’s total defense concept, which would coordinate civilian and military efforts in a comprehensive effort to resist foreign aggression.
“I feel safe and I really feel that my work makes sense,” says Colonel Frykvall. “And that’s important. I mean, we’re appreciated by civil society in a bigger way than we were before. So that’s a big difference.”
From military maneuvers to diplomatic discussions
BALTOPS 22 was not the first time that American troops marched along Gotland’s roads, nor was it the first time that Sweden and NATO allies joined forces for a military exercise. But it was hard to deny that this time it felt different. There is war on the European continent and the security environment has changed so drastically that Sweden has abandoned its long-standing military freedom of alliance and has begun the process of joining the alliance, alongside Finland.
Sweden has been a NATO partner since the mid-1990s and has maintained a close working relationship with the Alliance – also sent forces to participate in military operations such as the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan – while avoiding both obligations and guarantees such as comes with full NATO membership. This cooperation has deepened since 2014 (another measure that Sweden took after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea), with more joint military exercises and increased political dialogue – which culminated in Sweden’s official application for membership in NATO in May 2022.
When the US Marines and the Swedish Rangers moved into attack positions, the politicians in Stockholm and Brussels continued to discuss Sweden’s entry into the Alliance. A year ago, this would have been unthinkable – neutrality was as Swedish as flat-packed furniture, a political hallmark and even a pride.
But for the Swedish military – and for the Swedish government and society, a majority of which supports NATO membership – the world existed before 24 February, and the world we live in now.
“The threat is real,” said Colonel Frykvall. “And we have seen what, in this case, Russia is prepared to do to a neighboring country.”
This article is part of a series of mailings from the field, showing what life looks like on the ground for NATO and partner armed forces. Check out the other articles for more stories about troops exploring new lands, enduring the weather, and collaborating with friends.