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| Europe |
| Sweden: Army to be cut by one third |
| 2009-01-27 |
| Government policies will result in Sweden's army being reduced by one third and the number of tanks being cut in half, Armed Forces Supreme Commander Håkan Syrén is set to announce on Friday. Advance word about the massive cuts comes from a report in the Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) newspaper, citing sources within military headquarters. A government directive to the Supreme Commander from November confirms that the military budget will be frozen at 38.9 billion kronor ($4.9 billion) per year through 2014. But at the same time must every unit within the military's operational forces be able to deploy more rapidly. On Friday, the Supreme Commander will respond that the new requirements will mean dissolving operational units and a reduction in vital weapons systems, say several military headquarters sources to SvD. The army will be hit the hardest. "There will be a 30 percent reduction of ground forces units," once source told the newspaper. The number of soldiers and officers deployable for combat will be cut to 12,500, down from the current level of 20,000. According to SvD, the cuts mean that the army will retain seven tactical battalions and that one battalion will be take from the amphibious corps and instead counted in ground combat forces. In total, Sweden's army will be left with eight battalions. The military is also expected to shed half of its battle tanks. The government has said that tank battle groups should consist of lighter units which can easily be transported. In other words, according to SvD, the request means reducing the number of tanks. |
| Posted by:mrp |
| #12 ARE THE GERMANS REALLY DONE WITH THEIR HOBBY? |
| Posted by: Kjellend the Viking 2009-01-27 23:33 |
| #11 Dead State walking. |
| Posted by: Hyper 2009-01-27 20:58 |
| #10 They're losing a lot of biathlon marksmen as well. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-01-27 17:45 |
| #9 lotp, I'm an optimist. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2009-01-27 15:08 |
| #8 the Swedes will complete their surrender to dhimmitude within 10 years. That long? |
| Posted by: lotp 2009-01-27 14:38 |
| #7 I think the Stridsvagn 103 turned out to be a bit of a duff bet anyway. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2009-01-27 13:26 |
| #6 It's a feature Pro only as long as they do not need to defend themselves. Basically the Swedes will complete their surrender to dhimmitude within 10 years. They and Holland are in a race to the bottom. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2009-01-27 12:42 |
| #5 On the other hand it took two major world wars in the 20th Century to induce a major aversion into the German culture for similar hobbies. Nothing sad about it. It's a feature, not a bug. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-01-27 12:01 |
| #4 Amazing what 1000 years have done to one of the most formitable fighting forces in the world. sad, very sad..... |
| Posted by: Kjellend the Viking 2009-01-27 11:55 |
| #3 Don't they work 9 to 5? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-01-27 11:45 |
| #2 Of course, back in the Cold War, I seem to remember Sweden having conscription. I suspect that this means, basically, that the Army won't be usable as a tool for social cohesion by giving everyone a common experience base. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2009-01-27 11:40 |
| #1 Why have them when you never use them? |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2009-01-27 11:38 |