Peter Hultqvist

On 7 April, the Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist, together with defence ministers from several other participating countries, took part in an international digital meeting on Task Force Takuba, a multinational special forces task force to which Sweden is contributing a 150-strong unit.

An increase of the annual defence budget by 85 percent from 2015 to 2025. A new and larger war-time organisation, six new training establishments and new procurements. The Swedish Minister for Defence, Peter Hultqvist, presented the largest investment in Sweden’s defence capabilities in 70 years to international media on April 7.

Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist took part in the Meeting of NATO Ministers of Defence on 17 February held via videoconference. Mr Hultqvist and Finland’s Minister for Defence Antti Kaikkonen were among those specially invited to attend one of the sessions.

On 17 February, Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist took part in a video conference with Ukrainian Minister of Defence Andrii Taran. Items on the agenda included bilateral cooperation and the state of the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Check against delivery

A bilateral meeting via video link was held on 16 November between Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist and Portugal’s Minister of National Defence João Gomes Cravinho. The agenda included regional security, the Sahel and bilateral cooperation.

In the government bill ‘Totalförsvaret 2021–2025’ (Total Defence 2021–2025), the Government is proposing a substantial increase of capabilities in both military and civilian defence. The bill includes proposals on a new and expanded war organisation with reinforcements in all branches and functions of defence, as well as the re-establishment of five regiments and one air wing. The bill also includes substantial investment in military equipment, reinforcements of cyber defence, ammunition and foreign intelligence capabilities, and a doubling of basic-training volumes. Within the civilian defence, resilience is strengthened in several important societal functions.

On Wednesday 14 October, Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist received the Commander of NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, General Jörg Vollmer, at the Ministry of Defence.

On September 25, 2020, the Ministers of Defence of Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom met via videoconference, in the third annual European Intervention Initiative (EI2) meeting.