Denmark and Sweden agree on joint Baltic defence cooperation

6 months ago 26

Denmark and Sweden have decided to strengthen their defence cooperation, including joint procurement of military equipment and cooperation in the Baltic Sea region, with Danish and Swedish defence ministers Troels Lund Poulsen and Pål Jonson signing a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday.

Closer cooperation on defence matters was agreed by way of a declaration of intent during an official state visit in Stockholm on Tuesday.

The cooperation agreement will “underpin and remain within the framework of NATO, EU and Nordic Defence Cooperation, NORDEFCO and will be supported by regular bilateral consultations”, the document reads.

With this accord, Copenhagen and Stockholm are “investigating” joint procurements of military vehicles used by both militaries, such as the CV90 infantry fighting vehicles.

“Concretely, Denmark and Sweden will coordinate equipment purchase when possible. The cooperation may possibly include the purchase of additional infantry fighting vehicles (IKK) of the model CV90, which both Sweden and Denmark operate,” the Danish Defence Ministry declared in a press release.

In 2023, Sweden and Denmark agreed to donate CV90 vehicles to Ukraine, with both armies now having to replenish their own stocks.

“Both Sweden and Denmark have donated Stridsfordon 90 (CV 90) to Ukraine, and we share the view that continued support for Ukraine is crucial,” said the Swedish defence minister.

According to the Danish defence minister, this cooperation is even more natural now that Sweden has joined NATO, and both countries have specifically pledged to work together to secure the Baltic region.

Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. While Finland joined the alliance in April 2023, Sweden became NATO’s 32nd member in March, ending more than two centuries of military non-alignment.

Sweden and Denmark will thus expand air policing cooperation in the Baltic Sea region based on agreements on access to each other’s airspace and bases for the benefit of the NATO allies, including security on the Danish island of Bornholm and the strategically important Swedish island of Gotland.

In addition, as Sweden is currently considering sending a battalion to Latvia, the document proposes that both countries contribute a battalion or battle group to the Canadian-led presence in Ādaži, Latvia, on a rotational basis once the Swedish parliament has voted on the issue.

“This way, Denmark and Sweden will be able to cooperate on a rotational basis starting from the Danish Camp Valdemar in Ādaži,” the Danish defence ministry wrote in a press release.

(Charles Szumski | Euractiv.com)