Tolgfors refused to bear arms when called up for military service in the 1980s, and was forced instead to perform his national service in the community sector. He later worked for the Red Cross. There, he changed his view of the use of military force after a Kurdish man showed him photographs of Saddam Hussein's massacre in Halabja.
Announcing Tolgfors's appointment on Wednesday afternoon, Reinfeldt said that there was broad agreement between the parties on the need to reposition Sweden's military. He added that he was prepared to reevaluate how every single krona in taxpayers' money was spent. "Odenberg and I do not reach the same conclusions about reductions in the proposed budget," he said.
Reinfeldt rejected Odenberg's claim that the proposed defence cuts of 4-5 million kronor were baseless. They were based, Reinfeldt said, on the conclusions of the 2004 defence review.