Bloomberg: Sweden Aims to Reactivate Civil Conscription to Boost Defense
(Bloomberg) -- Sweden’s government is taking steps to reactivate civil conscription in the latest move to shore up its defense capabilities in the wake of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The Nordic country, which in May sought entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization together with neighboring Finland, is also ramping up the number of people who are called to serve in the armed forces after a 2017 decision to resurrect military conscription.
Sweden has pledged to increase military spending to 2% of its gross domestic product, and it aims to almost double the number of conscripts to 10,000 by the next decade.
Now, the government will ask the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency to prepare education for people who would be asked to serve with municipal emergency services in the event of a military conflict, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said at a news conference on Monday.
The plan aims at bolstering civil defenses while also providing an option for conscripts who are unwilling to undergo military training.
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Update #1: Sweden aims to reactivate civil conscription to shore up defences (Al Jazeera)
Update #2: Sweden To Reactivate Civil Conscription In Response To Ukraine War (Zero Hedge)
WNU Editor: Here is an easy prediction. Other EU governments are going to copy Sweden if the security situation over Ukraine continues to deteriorate.