Expansion of successful training package for Ukrainian military

“Sweden’s training support has been greatly appreciated by Ukraine. At the same time, Ukraine continues to need additional training activities, such as in the maritime area. Through this mandate, the Swedish Armed Forces can plan training activities for the entire year, which minimises negative effects on the growth of Swedish military capability,” says Minister for Defence Pål Jonson.

This framework mandate will improve the Swedish Armed Forces’ ability to both plan their activities for the year and respond to urgent Ukrainian training needs when they arise.

This decision also means that the Armed Forces will be able to provide training both bilaterally and multilaterally, in Sweden or another EU or NATO member state. The decision also covers Ukrainian units’ access to Swedish territory.

The contents of the training package are based on experience from 2023 and assessments of new training requirements resulting from the recently established capability coalitions (with the framework of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group). It is estimated that upwards of 18 000 Ukrainian students will go through the training activities in which Swedish instructors take part in 2024.

Sweden’s ongoing training engagements – within the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine, as regards health care and infantry training, in the Northern European-Lithuanian Minesweeper Training Initiative and other mine clearance training activities in Lithuania, and participation in Operation Interflex in the United Kingdom – will continue but can now also be supplemented. 

The following training activities may become relevant with the support of this training package:

• training on military equipment that Sweden has donated;
• participation in various types of multilateral training activities, similar to Interflex or Interforge (which aims to provide training activities focused on amphibious warfare);
• training within the framework of one of the capability coalitions in which Sweden is a member, such as maritime education in the form of amphibious combat techniques, underwater mine clearance within the framework of the International Maritime Security Coalition or participation in various types of land mine clearance training activities in the Demining Coalition for Ukraine; and
• leadership training, where Swedish instructors conduct courses for prospective group or platoon leaders, as well as tactical training for staff officers.