- WIADOMOŚCI
Swedish Defense Minister: We cannot continue to be so dependent on the U.S.
“All of Northern Europe is beginning to realize that we are entering an era in which we must take defense matters more seriously, because we can no longer rely so heavily on the military power of the United States,” said Sweden’s Minister of Defense, Pål Jonson.
Last week, Swedish Minister of Defense Pål Jonson paid an official visit to the United States. The head of Sweden’s defense ministry visited, among other places, NATO’s Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFC Norfolk) and the Alliance’s Allied Command Transformation. His presence in the U.S. provided an opportunity to review the participation of Sweden and Finland in Joint Force Command Norfolk (the armed forces of both countries have been part of it since the fall of 2025 – editor’s note).
See also
During his visit to the United States, Minister Jonson gave a statement addressing current Swedish-American relations. In an interview with Breaking Defense](https://breakingdefense.com/2026/04/europe-must-wean-off-addiction-to-us-military-swedish-defmin-says/), Jonson noted a positive awakening among the countries of Northern Europe regarding security policy and the strengthening of collective defense. In his view, there is a growing awareness in this part of the continent that continuing to base national defense solely on the military strength of the United States is not a sustainable solution.
The minister also commented on NATO’s current functioning and the various tensions that occasionally arise among its members. According to Jonson, one of his goals as defense minister is to promote NATO’s “cohesion.” He added that differing opinions on certain issues are natural—citing, as an example, the divergence between Sweden and the United States regarding Greenland.
Jonson also discussed Sweden’s past and planned defense procurements from the U.S. arms market. Examples included Stockholm’s decisions to purchase HIMARS systems, TPY-4 air surveillance radars, and Patriot missile batteries. The minister praised the well-functioning Swedish-American cooperation under the Foreign Military Sales program.
Minister Jonson also addressed the potential sale of Gripen multirole fighter aircraft to Canada. Ottawa will likely opt exclusively for the American F-35, but—as the Swedish defense minister pointed out—there is a potential opportunity on the horizon for the sale of GlobalEye (AEW&C) early warning aircraft.
