The nations of Scandinavia must take a hard look at their respective projected military budgets and find ways to complement each other for their common defense.
In early 2008, the senior military service chiefs of both Norway and Sweden commented in the press that their respective militaries are too small to uphold their own defense, and they are evaluating change. 1 The scope of these efforts ranges from immediate budget shortfalls to more long-term structural changes. In the short term, the Swedish military wants to sell surplus assets to meet operational unit needs. 2 More medium-term opportunities focus on acquisition and personnel development for all the services. 3 And long-term ideas seek to transform these militaries to better reflect the envisioned defense budgets of these nations based on current trends.
