Sweden's Government Decides to Apply for NATO Membership

What’s the story?

• Sweden’s government announced Monday that it will pursue membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The historic move will bring an end to Sweden’s longstanding neutrality and non-alignment which it has maintained since 1814.
• Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson’s office released a statement that read, “The Government’s assessment is that NATO membership is the best way to protect Sweden’s security in light of the fundamentally changed security environment following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.” Her office also added in a tweet:

“Today, Sweden has decided to apply to become a member of NATO. A historic decision with broad support in parliament. NATO membership would strengthen Sweden’s security. As a member, Sweden would increase the security for all of NATO.”

• Sweden is expected to join NATO as soon as this summer in tandem with its neighbor Finland, which announced its own decision to join the alliance last week and will hold a parliamentary vote in the next few days to move the process forward. The two countries have been involved in extensive consultations on their security policies and both reassessed their policy of formal non-alignment following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
• The U.S. and Britain have reportedly provided Sweden and Finland with security guarantees during the NATO application process until they become formal members covered by the alliance’s Article V mutual defense clause. An expeditionary strike group led by the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge recently entered the Baltic Sea after spending the last few weeks in the North Sea off the coast of Norway for exercises with regional allies and partners. Additionally, Finland and Sweden’s Nordic neighbors Denmark, Iceland, and Norway are all NATO members and have pledged to support the applicants if they’re attacked prior to full NATO membership. 
• Russia has warned that if Finland and Sweden join NATO they will become potential military targets, potentially with tactical nuclear weapons. Vladimir Putin said that while any build-up of NATO forces in Finland and Sweden will “trigger a response” by Russia’s military, potential NATO membership by those countries “doesn’t pose a threat” to Russia ― comments which represent a significant walk-back from prior threats made by Russian officials.

What would Sweden bring to NATO?

• Despite its formal non-alignment, the Swedish armed forces have a long history of holding joint exercises and training with NATO militaries that have enhanced their interoperability. Swedish troops have participated in the NATO Response Force despite not being formal members.
• Sweden recently announced plans to ramp up its defense spending to meet the NATO benchmark of 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) “as soon as possible”. Its defense budget in 2022 is estimated at around 1.3% of GDP, up from 0.9% in 2015.
• The Swedish armed forces have an active duty component of about 24,000 personnel in addition to a reserve of about 31,800. The active component is comparable in size to Finland’s active military force, although its reserves are smaller. Sweden maintains a capable air and naval forces, and has a shared defense industrial base with NATO members, as it recently began using American-made Patriot missiles for air defense.
• The proximity of Sweden and Finland to the three Baltic states ― Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania ― means that their geography would make them an integral part of NATO’s defensive plans in the Baltic Sea region. The Swedish island of Gotland, strategically located halfway between the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and the city of St. Petersburg, is considered a possible Russian invasion target if Putin attempts military action in the Baltic.
• The strategic impact of Finland and Sweden joining NATO would also be seen further north as they are two of the eight Arctic countries and five of the others are members of NATO (the only non-NATO Arctic country is Russia).

How do countries join NATO?

• NATO has gone through eight rounds of enlargement since its formation from 12 founding member states in 1949 to its current 30 members. Applicant countries must adhere to the principles of “democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of law”, in addition to being able to contribute to the security of the alliance. At this time, only European countries may apply to join.
• NATO members must unanimously agree to invite any new country into the alliance. Once invited, applicant countries receive a membership action plan with steps to take to join the alliance. Then an accession protocol to the North Atlantic Treaty must be signed unanimously by NATO members to allow the country to join the alliance. 
• The accession process may require ratification by a member country’s legislative body, as is the case in the U.S. where a two-thirds majority vote is required in the Senate to ratify the change to the treaty. Once all NATO countries have completed their ratification processes, the applicant country can formally join.

RELATED READING

• Finland's Leaders Announce Support for Joining NATO Alliance (5/13/22)
• Finland & Sweden Move Towards NATO Membership Despite Russia’s Threats (4/13/22)
• NATO Activates Response Force for First Time, U.S. & Allies Increase Defense Aid to Ukraine Amid Russia’s Invasion (2/28/22)
• NATO Increases Readiness of Multinational Response Force - What Is It? (1/28/22)
• Arctic Plays Increasingly Significant Role in National Security Amid Climate Change (11/24/21)
• NATO Turns 70: Truman Completed the Ratification of the North Atlantic Treaty On This Date (7/25/19)

— Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Averi Coppa via DVIDSHUB / Public Domain)