Major shortcomings in Gotland defense experts say – Sveriges Radio

– To begin with, all of Gotland, they can not even defend at all. We are talking about a single place, Slite Visby airport or port or something like that, Karlis Neretnieks, a former director of the Gotland Regiment and the director of the National Defence University.

Defence experts Caliber have talked to are particularly critical that there is anti-aircraft and artillery on the island.

So the crisis, anti-aircraft coming from Halmstad and artillery Constance. Even those soldiers who can run battle Gotland 14 tanks have to go to the island from the mainland.

Karlis Neretnieks do not think you can defend Gotland until these strengths come.

– Nah, you can defend a place for shorter or longer. It would be enough to supply connections to Gotland, it is not. For all the supplies that we will try to do in a place like position, the Board will also be tackled, says Neretnieks.

The defense of Gotland is a fraction of what it looked like at cold war. Since 6000 could longtime soldiers, employees, and that made military service, quickly mobilized.

2018 will be 160 professional soldiers and the Home Guard 460 to Gotland. And so the 140 temporary workers who must get to the island. Thus, about one-tenth as many troops on the island.

One billion spent on rebuilding a defense of Gotland and it is part of the 10 billion that the Armed Forces have been in extra funding over the period 2016-2020. Furthermore invested SEK 780 million to build a new garrison.

Caliber has called out Armed Forces’ own analysis of how defense capabilities will with the extra additions. The document we have got out is largely masked. But not all. So here it is:

“Risk-taking is too large relative to the opportunities to meet different courses of events. This is particularly evident with respect to information in the higher levels of conflict.”

This means that Sweden has continued difficult defending the country in war and conflict.

Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist not exclude that there will be more focus on the defense of the island.

Can battlegroup Gotland as it is designed now defend the island at an attack?

– the battlegroup can of course once it is completed to constitute something that is raising the threshold, which is an aggravating factor for a potential attacker. And that lead was also of course we have a completely different preparedness opportunity on the island. So I think this is an important investment. Then if this is the end point, it is well to early to say. But I think after all that this issue will be very relevant in the next defense preparation also Gotland, says Peter Hultqvist.

Daniel Varjo
daniel.varjo@sverigesradio.se