Four North Swedish bases included in new deal with U.S

“The deteriorating security situation in Europe is a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The conditions for Swedish security policy have therefore fundamentally changed,” the Swedish Government underlines as the new agreement with the USA is signed.

Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson had traveled to Washington DC to meet U.S Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. The deal was signed in the Pentagon on the 5th of December.

“It’s great to meet with a true partner and future NATO Ally, especially as we face significant security challenges in Europe and across the globe,” Austin said in a tweet.

“It’s an historic day in DC,” the Swedish Embassy in the US responded.

It’s an historic day in DC as Minister for Defense @PlJonson and  @SecDef Austin sign the first ever bilateral Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA). Having the DCA in place will significantly facilitate a closer and deeper defense cooperation between Sweden and the US. pic.twitter.com/SF2yE2VMOv

— Embassy of Sweden USA (@SwedeninUSA) December 6, 2023

In their talks, the two defence officials discussed the evolving situation in Europe and agreed on the importance of continued robust support to Ukraine in the face of Russia’s illegal and full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the U.S Department of Defence informs. 

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The defence agreement regulates the conditions for US forces to operate in Sweden. It includes issues such as the legal status of US military personnel, access to deployment areas, pre-positioning of military materiel, and tax and customs regulations.

The agreement also creates conditions for US military support should the security situation demand it, and is therefore an agreement of great consequence to Sweden’s security.

“The deteriorating situation means that Sweden must be able to respond quickly to complex security developments – independently and together with others,” the Swedish Government underlines.

The US from before has a similar agreement with Norway, and a new agreement is under negotiation with Denmark. Finland has negotiated an agreement with the US along with the Swedes and that deal is reportedly soon ready to be signed. 

The northern parts of the countries constitute a key part of the agreements. In the Swedish-US deal, four bases in Northern Sweden are included.

From now on, US forces will be allowed to train and operate in the air bases of Luleå and Vidsel, as well as the regimental area and military camp of Boden and Kiruna.

The Norrbotten Wing in Luleå (F 21) is one of three wings in Sweden. It currently has two squadrons of multirole aircraft. The nearby Vidsel Air Base provides an aerospace test and evaluation asset.

The Boden Artillery Regiment is an artillery unit within the Swedish Army that operated in the period between 1919 and 2004, and was reopened in 2022.

Kiruna for several decades housed an Army ranger school. Today, Kiruna is home to parts of the Lapland Jaeger Brigade.