Peter Hultqvist

Sweden’s security, competitiveness and prosperity rest largely on digital foundations. For the Government, it is important that the opportunities of digital transformation are harnessed while the risks are managed. On Wednesday 16 June, Minister for Home Affairs Mikael Damberg and Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist visited the national cyber security centre to see how the new centre is taking shape.

On 7–18 June 2021, Denmark, Finland and Norway and Sweden, together with the United States, will host the recurring international air exercise Arctic Challenge Exercise 2021 (ACE 21). It will be the fifth year the exercise is held within the framework of Nordic cooperation. Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist will visit the exercise in Luleå on 15 June.

The defence ministers of the Northern Group, a security and defence policy forum, took part in a video conference on 9 June. The security situation in northern Europe was the main item on the agenda.

Swedish Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist and his Indian counterpart, Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh, today participated in a digital seminar focusing on defence industry cooperation between India and Sweden. In his speech, Peter Hultqvist stressed the countries’ close and long-standing bilateral relations and their growing strategic partnership, not least on defence issues.

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s 2021 Spring Session, hosted by the Swedish Riksdag, opened today with introductory remarks from Sweden’s Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist. He emphasised the importance of transatlantic relations to the security of Europe, and how Russia is challenging the European security order.

On 13 May, Sweden’s Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist participated in a panel discussion on the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) and European security. The Minister highlighted the importance of bilateral and multilateral cooperation to building security and stability in Europe, and underlined the role of JEF in this.

A first meeting has taken place in a digital format between Sweden’s Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist and his Estonian counterpart, the new Minister of Defence Kalle Laanet. Among the items on the agenda were the security situation in the neighbourhood and development of the bilateral defence cooperation between Sweden and Estonia.

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.

The Swedish government has proposed to parliament that the defence sector should be allocated an additional SEK 5 billion in 2021.

On 8 September, the Riksdag decided to grant the Government greater rights to give and receive operational military support within the framework of defence cooperation between Sweden and Finland. The Government will be able to take decisions on matters such as assisting Finland militarily to prevent violations of Finnish territory, and receiving military support from Finland to prevent violations of Swedish territory or respond to an armed attack against Sweden. Decisions to assist Finland militarily to respond to an armed attack against Finland must still be approved by the Riksdag.