Swedish Government Split Over Cuts to Military

June 15, 2012 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: Radio Sweden; posted June 14, 2012)

Government Split Over Cuts to Swedish Military

The Swedish armed forces will have to pay for the next generation of "super-JAS" warplanes without any new grant from the government, meaning that cuts in other areas are inevitable, reports Swedish Radio News.

Svenska Dagbladet has seen a leaked budget memo from the government saying that no new grant will be awarded.

Peter Hultquist, of the opposition Social Democrats, says that this report confirms that the Swedish armed forces are short of money. He says to new agency TT that if the government plans big changes in the armed forces they should contact the other parties in the parliament's defence committee.

The government's working group will decide which Swedish military units are to be disbanded.

But even other parties in the governing Alliance are critical. Allan Widman, of the liberals, says that his party opposes disbanding units, and says that it would be a break with promises previously made by all Alliance party leaders.

Staffan Danielsson, from another government party, the Center, says that his party also opposes doing away with any units.