During April and May, six to eight Gripen aircraft with pilots and service personnel will be based in Poland to patrol Polish airspace and be part of NATO's air surveillance.
This is the first time Sweden is participating with fighter jets in NATO's forward defense, according to the government.
This aims to deter an attack or, in the worst case, conduct defense if the alliance is subjected to armed attack, says Pål Jonson.
They will operate in NATO's northern area for air surveillance.
Protecting Ukraine Deliveries
The unit that makes up the Swedish force comes from the F21 air wing in Luleå. In addition to pilots, it involves ground personnel of approximately 110 people.
The government also wants up to eight Gripen aircraft in the summer, June to August, to protect NATO's operations in Poland, NSATU, to support and coordinate arms deliveries to Ukraine. NSATU is on site in Poland with personnel, buildings, and deployment sites.
The protection is central to ensuring that military and civilian material support to Ukraine can continue, says Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M).
By participating in the operation, we contribute to the support reaching Ukraine.
The government is submitting a proposal today for the Riksdag to approve such an operation.
As for NATO's "air policing", the Riksdag has already approved Swedish participation.
Threats and Risks
According to the government, it is neither new threat images nor feared reduced engagement from the USA that has prompted the Swedish operation.
No, this is a rotating task that goes between different countries and then we have received a request for a certain period, says Malmer Stenergard.
How risky do you assess these NATO operations to be compared to our air patrol over the Baltic Sea?
All operations are associated with risks, but the units we contribute with are also trained to handle the threats and risks that exist, says Pål Jonson.
The Swedish incident preparedness will not deteriorate when Sweden sends away eight Gripen aircraft, according to him.
No, we have checked this with the Defense Forces and the Defense Forces see positively on carrying out this operation. It contributes to Swedish security, and it also strengthens the Swedish Air Force's interoperability.
