The Swedish Armed Forces and Nato

Sweden's role in NATO

As a reliable and solidary ally, Sweden is to participate in NATO's operations and activities for deterrence and defence.
The Swedish contributions are planned to involve resources from all domains including land, sea and air and they should, if necessary, be adjustable in the short term.

Sweden's contributions to NATO's deterrence and defence

Contributions in 2026

FLF Latvia

A continued Swedish contribution to NATO's multinational brigade in Latvia is intended during 2026. The brigade is part of NATO's forward presence, Forward Land Forces (FLF Latvia).

Naval forces

There is an intention to reinforce NATO's standing naval forces in order to maintain the Alliance's continuous naval presence and readiness to act swiftly, should the security situation deteriorate.

Integrated air and missile defence

A Swedish contribution to NATO's integrated air and missile defence is also planned during 2026. The intention is to include air units with fighter aircraft to enhance NATO's Air Policing, for example:

• surveillance of airspace
• incident preparedness
• other activities within the scope of NATO's integrated air and missile defence

Contributions 2027–2029

FLF Finland

NATO's presence in the eastern states of the Alliance, bordering on Russia, is referred to as Forward Land Forces (FLF). Decisions have been made to establish a new forward presence in Finland, Forward Land Forces Finland, to be led by Sweden.

JLSG HQ NW

A new logistics centre will be established in Enköping, to be operational by the end of 2027. The Joint Logistics Support Group Headquarters (JLSG HQ) will be part of the NATO command structure, with staffing coordinated centrally by NATO.

NATO Signal Battalion (NSB)

Sweden and other Nordic allies will be part of NATO's northwestern operational area (JOA Northwest). A signal battalion will be established to enable command of military operations. Sweden is tasked with providing command and control systems.

The signal battalion is estimated to be operational in 2027 and to reach full operational capability in 2029.

Host Nation Support

As a NATO ally, Sweden will enhance its capacity to provide Host Nation Support for allied forces on Swedish territory.

This requires close cooperation between:

• civil society
• regional government agencies
• military forces

Joint efforts between these actors will enhance Sweden's as well as NATO's deterrence and defence.

NATO's purpose

NATO's purpose is to provide peace and security in all member countries through political and military means. Politically, NATO promotes democratic values and enables consultation and cooperation among member countries. Militarily, NATO works through commitment to peaceful resolutions of disputes, or by crisis management operations.

These efforts are made possible through Articles 3, 4 and 5 of NATO's founding treaty.

NATO's founding principles

Article 3 – Resilience

Each NATO member country needs to be resilient in order to withstand a major shock such as a natural disaster or a hybrid or armed attack. Resilience is the individual and collective capacity to prepare for, resist, respond to and quickly recover from shocks and disruptions, and to ensure the continuity of the Alliance’s activities. Civil preparedness is a central pillar of Allies’ resilience and a critical enabler for the Alliance’s collective defence. NATO supports member countries in assessing and enhancing their civil preparedness. Rooted in Article 3 of the North Atlantic Treaty, national and collective resilience are an essential basis for credible deterrence and defence, and are therefore vital to NATO’s efforts to safeguard its societies, populations and shared values.

Article 4 – Consensus

All NATO decisions are made by consensus, after discussion and consultation among member countries. Consultation between member states is therefore at the heart of NATO, since Allies are able to exchange views and information, and discuss issues prior to reaching agreement and taking action. Under Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty, members can bring any issue of concern, especially related to the security of a member country, to the table for discussion within the North Atlantic Council.

Article 5 – Collective defence

The principle of collective defence, expressed in Article 5, is at the core of NATO’s founding treaty. It remains a unique and enduring principle that binds its members together, committing them to protect each other and setting a spirit of solidarity within the Alliance.