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European countries need to strengthen defense ties in NATO without the US and invest more in their military capabilities in areas such as space and satellites, the Swedish defense minister said.
Pål Jonson told the Financial Times that Sweden has made strong defensive industry cooperation with the United States amid a heated debate in Europe about whether the continent is too dependent on allies that suddenly withdraw support from Ukraine.
“There are some autonomous capabilities we have developed,” he said, referring to the launch of the Kirnarocket Base in northern Sweden and the country’s first military satellite in August. “That’s also useful.”
Sweden is one of the largest defence industries compared to the size of the country’s population, and has recently established itself as a neutral country. As a result of a full-scale invasion of Russia’s Ukraine, the country joined NATO last year, strengthening its military spending, reaching 2.2% of GDP in 2024, surpassing the alliance’s 2% target.
“One lesson we learned from this war in Ukraine is that having a strong defence industrial base is part of a reliable deterrence,” Johnson said.
Defense Minister Pål Jonson says European countries need to raise defense spending that is well above 2% of GDP © Erika Gerdemark/Bloomberg
Serve, the main defense company dominated by industrialists in the Wallenburg family, may be the eighth largest group in Europe, but it is rare to produce fighter jets, submarines and other weapons. The Swedish Gripen Fighter Jet, its global surveillance plane and the Breckie submarine all come from Saab.
Johnson added that many of the Swedish platforms delivered to Ukraine are suitable for it as they are easy to operate, adapted for use by conscription and are designed to stand up against Russian weapons.
“We have regained a lot of intelligence for the platforms we sent to make them even more agile. Having a strong defence industrial base is a central concern for Sweden,” the Defense Minister added.
Sweden competed with neighboring Norway to launch the country’s northern space industry and set up a base in the mining town of Kirna. That first military satellite was released last year, but was released from a California spaceport.
Johnson called defense cooperation with the US “a two-way street” and said Sweden wanted to continue working with the US.
However, he assisted the phone to develop the so-called European pillar within NATO.
“If there’s a will, there’s a way to make sure there’s a strong European pillar within NATO, but that’s going to require tough priorities too,” he said. Trump has said the alliance needs to reach 5% of GDP.
Johnson has diverted criticism that Sweden is not only signing a bilateral defense agreement, but also joining NATO, which deflects criticism that it is relying too much on the US for its security.
“Sweden is now safer than when we joined the alliance because it is now covered by Article 5 (NATO’s collective defense pledge) and is integrated into the NATO defense plan,” he said.
However, he added: “It is very likely that a review of the US’s presence in Europe will lead to a smaller US footprint. However, as they face the Indo-Pacific threat, we have assumed that it may even be the case even before the (presidential) election, especially in relation to China.”
