What are the core features of Sweden's new defence policy?
You have to go to national security policy first because of course you cannot create the strategy for your defence forces without a national security objective. We have had a period of tremendous change. During the cold war the main purpose of the Swedish defence forces was to defend the country from invasion. That period and that objective has now changed. We are still non-aligned and our government intends to stick to that policy for the foreseeable future but within the non-aligned framework we have completely changed our attitude to the world around us. We are now participating under NATO command in Bosnia, first IFOR then SFOR. We are members of the European Union, we are observers in the West European Union and we participate fully in Partnership for Peace.
How is the structure of the Swedish armed forces different from 10 years ago?
We are a smaller organisation. If you look at the war-time organisation of 10 years ago there were roughly 860,000 men after mobilisation in the armed forces.

This figure has now been reduced to around 500,000. We still have conscription and in my view we should not attempt to give it up or substitute it for the supposed benefits of a professional army. Conscription is needed for purely defence reasons and it gives us the special qualities of the Swedish population inside our armed forces. I think it would be a great and tragic mistake to abandon it now.
How have the procurement plans of the Swedish armed forces changed?
Not dramatically The biggest difference I would say is in the command-and-control area where we are putting more money and more emphasis than we could have imagined would ever have been needed 10 or 15 years ago. That is a technological development and consequently the structure of the budget has changed. From the point of view of the army it is right to continue further with mechanisation, especially in regards to the Leopard 2 tank and Combat Vehicle 90 programmes, and the BAMSE anti-aircraft missile that is being developed and is due to go into production within a few years' time. We shall continue with our plans for the JAS 39 as we shall with the procurement of naval vessels and so on.
In the air force we have the new Erieye airborne radar-warning aircraft that means we get basically the same capacity as the AWACS gives NATO and the US but in a much smaller aircraft that costs just a fraction of AWACS.
If I go to the navy next, there is the surface ship YS 2000, that we have named the Visby class. The process is now fully developed and the production phase has begun that will become a major navy procurement programme. In the case of submarines, we have taken delivery from Kockums of the new Gotland class. We are now discussing and investing considerable amounts of time and money into a new generation of submarines, including the Viking project that hopefully will become a joint programme with Denmark, Norway and other nations.

What is involved in sustaining large troop contingents abroad on peace-keeping missions for long periods of time in places such as Bosnia? Is this a completely new departure for Sweden?
If you go back in time you will recall that we have had troops in Cyprus, Lebanon, the Congo and in many other places, so this is not a new departure for Sweden. It is a structure we have built up over many years. The new development that is coming on stream in July of this year is the stand-by forces that we are contributing to the Schndrigg concept along with Denmark, Canada and Norway. This is an entirely new concept where we have a unit on a high state of readiness consisting of two companies who are ready to be deployed anywhere in the world whenever they are needed within two weeks of being told to move. I repeat, this is an entirely new situation but one I think is necessary for the future. Europe must have the capacity to take care of instances such as bush fires so you have to be prepared to use all types of unit from the army, navy and air force.
What are the major technological changes and challenges facing the Swedish armed forces as it looks to develop its next generation of weapons to follow on from those currently in production?
I think the biggest change we will see in future will be in the command-and-control system. If you go 15 to 20 years into the future, all units will be movable and have firepower that can be used far from their bases. However, the big difference will be that you will have control of what is happening on the battlefield and over a very wide area. You will know where you have your own units, you will know what they are doing and how well they are doing. And you will know what the enemy is doing and you will have control over the battlefield, in fact a complete overview of what is happening. When you know what is going on in such circumstances you can transform that advantage into orders and react with units much more quickly than we do today.
Will the development of Sweden's next generation of weapons involve more co-operation with foreign defence companies? It is obvious that the trend is going that way and of course it is necessary to build up the European defence industry. I hope Sweden will be an active partner in this process and will be able to contribute fully its knowledge and technological skills. Right now it is absolutely necessary for Europe to have a defence industry of its own, otherwise we shall become totally dependent on the United States. I think it is vital we have a source in Europe that we can control ourselves.
What are the major projects that you have been involved with during your tenure as the chief of Swedish defence?
I have been chief of Swedish defence since the summer of 1994 and the biggest change I have witnessed is that we have moved our defensive planning away from the possibility of an invasion. We are now moving towards new structures that represent much broader objectives in international operations, territorial integrity and support to society in peacetime.

On mobilisation the Swedish armed forces comprise some 500,000 men and women

The HAS 39 Gripen in Swedish Air Force Colours

Reduction in size and numbers puts extra emphasis on maintaining quality