Weapons that are effective 2000 kilometers away are not a question of aggression, it is about deterrence and an important component of air defense, says Jonson.
To put it figuratively: Instead of absorbing and shooting away the arrows, you shoot away the archer, he says.
The defense budget is set to grow from 148 billion this year to over 200 billion by 2030. This week, the Armed Forces submitted its considerations to the government on what the money should be used for to meet NATO requirements and to meet a growing threat. This includes, among other things, long-range missiles.
"We need to increase our long-range capability for combat in depth. Both for offensive parts of our defense and for deterrence," said Lieutenant General Carl-Johan Edström, Chief of the Defense Staff, on Monday.
Pål Jonson emphasizes that it is about defense and that it cannot be seen as escalation towards Russia. Instead, he believes that it is Russia that has already escalated.
It is Russia that has developed its capability with long-range missiles, both cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. Russia uses this daily against Ukraine.
