News: Chairman of NATO’s military committee visits Sweden, 31-Aug-2022
From 31 August to 1 September 2022, the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, visited Sweden at the invitation of its Supreme Commander, General Micael Bydén. The purpose of the visit was to discuss the cooperation between Sweden and NATO during the accession process and to gain more insight into Sweden’s military capacity.
The Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, began his official visit by meeting Foreign Minister Robert Rydberg and Defense Minister Jan-Olof Lind. Discussions focused on the current security environment and the respective plans implemented to protect allied and national territory as well as ongoing contributions to shared security. Admiral Bauer added that “Sweden’s and Finland’s membership in NATO will enable closer Baltic and Nordic defense cooperation; strengthen the alliance’s presence in the North and strengthen transatlantic security”.
Accompanied by General Bydén and the Deputy Chief of Joint Operations, Major General Wikman, Admiral Bauer traveled to northern Finland, where he was able to observe the Vigilant Knife exercise. On arrival, the admiral was greeted by General Timo Kivinen, Finland’s Chief of Defense. With only a few days’ notice, hundreds of Swedish troops traveled to northern Finland where they were placed under Finnish command and trained with Finnish and British troops. The goal was to maintain immediate readiness and capability for combined operations on demanding missions. All troops showed that they are very capable of working together under the conditions prevailing in northern Finland. Admiral Bauer: “Never before have Sweden and Finland trained together at such extremely short notice. What impressed me the most is the strength, passion, professionalism and efficiency of their armed forces. NATO allies are proud to have Finland and Sweden as their closest operational partners. And we hope to welcome them to our alliance soon.”
On the second day, Admiral Bauer met with the commander of the Norrbotten Air Force Wing, Colonel Edström, who briefed him on ongoing air operations, including rapid response units and surveillance and protection of Swedish airspace. “The Swedish Air Force has participated in NATO’s rapid response warning exercises for over a decade. On a weekly basis, Swedish warplanes fly defensive air exercises with NATO warplanes to contribute to security and stability over Europe, the Baltic Sea region and the northern part of the north,” the admiral emphasized.
Admiral Bauer then discussed the accession process with the head of the Armed Forces Headquarters strategic planning group NATO, Major General Thomas Nilsson, and the head of the policy and planning department, Major General Lena Persson Herlitz.
In a joint press conference with the Swedish Chief of Defense, General Micael Bydén, Admiral Bauer addressed the ongoing accession protocol for Sweden to join NATO: “Sweden is one of NATO’s closest partners. We have worked together to strengthen our common security, we share the same values and we have high interoperability. In parallel with the accession and ratification process, preparations for the military integration process have also begun. This means that Sweden participates in the Military Committee’s meetings as an invitee. We look forward to welcoming General Bydén at the Military Committee conference in Tallinn on September 17.”