Armed Forces in Scandinavia
In 1993, an armoured vehicle from the third Danish
armoured battalion attacked a Serbian stronghold in Bosnia with shellfire,
the first official Danish act of war since 1864.
In modern times, the armed forces of Scandinavia have been reticent but
always ready to participate in multinational forces under UN auspices.
Norway and Denmark are members of NATO while Sweden and Finland cherish
their neutrality although they maintain a significant military presence.
All the Nordic countries partake in the Partnership for Peace Program
(PfP) and the Nordic Coordinated Arrangement for Military Peace Support
(NORDCAPS) in cooperation with the Baltic states.
Compared to the military of Canada, the United Kingdom and the US the
number of armed forces that the Scandinavian countries have do not amount
to much but when the small populations are considered a surprising fact
arises. The percentage of the population engaged in military service is
higher in Scandinavia than in the United Kingdom, the US and Canada.
The Nordic countries have retained the system of conscription and reserves
while other countries rely on a so-called professional military. For example,
the fully mobilized Swedish military counts 500,000 men and women. Military
service is not mandatory in Scandinavia but subject to a confusing set
of rules and regulations which merit an explanation.
Having recently celebrated his eighteenth birthday, in Finland his seventeenth,
any young Scandinavian male is required to attend a meeting with the military
where medical examinations and aptitude tests determine his eligibility
for military service. It is the objective of this meeting to arrange terms
of conscription to the satisfaction of both parties. A young Finn is not
required to enter military service at the age of seventeen but typically
arranges to join either the army, the air force or the navy at age nineteen
or twenty. It is further possible for him to defer service until age twenty-eight
if he plans to attend university, for example. These negotiations are
of course contingent on the young man being declared eligible and further
depends in the case of Denmark upon his "number". The "number"
is a piece of paper drawn from a small barrel on which a figure between
1 and 10,000 appears, this figure determines whether or not the young
man is required to enter military service. If the figure is low, i.e.
between 1 and 3,000, he is required to serve a full enlistment period
ranging from 180 to 365 days, but by volunteering he has a say in where
and how he serves. If the figure is in the middle, i.e. between 3,000
and 7,000; the young man is required to serve no more than 180 days but
can still volunteer in order to participate in his placement. If the figure
is high, i.e. between 7,000 and 10,000, there is only a slim chance that
the young man is called upon to serve his enlistment but again, he can
volunteer if he desires to enter military serve.
As an example, the writer drew an approximate number of 8,500 but volunteered
for an enlistment period of eleven months with the army infantry. Army
enlistment is traditionally the longest, 8-12 months while the air force
is shortest, 5-6 months.
The periods of enlistment and the ranges are approximated and may differ
from country to country. For example, in Norway the enlistment period
for all branches of armed services is 12 months. The workings of this
numbers game results in a very efficient conscription system considering
that very few young men are actually forced to join the military against
their will, and those who wish to enter military service are encouraged
to join even when their number is high.
There are many critics of the Scandinavian conscription system arguing
that conscripted personnel is unnecessary in peacetime and in the absence
of a credible military threat from the former Soviet Union. However, the
system is the most efficient since there are a large number of reserves
in civilian life who can be called upon in emergency situations. It is
customary, for example, for a previously discharged person to be recalled
for twoweek refresher courses in which case an employer is required by
law to give an employee time off. To those who lament that women have
no mention thus far, I can only say that women are encouraged to join
the military but are not required to serve.
Military service in Scandinavia, whether desired or not, is often considered
a civic duty and an integral part of a young man's adolescence. Being
a soldier molds one's identity and provides exposure to discipline and
physical hardship. While some young men may curse themselves for ever
having volunteered to verbal abuse by superiors, week-long exercises in
the cold
of winter, or digging trenches every day, five or ten years later they
will look back upon their military days as one of the greatest times of
their lives.
SWEDEN
Sweden employs 53 500 people in its armed forces. This
translates into 0.6% of the population of 8.9 million. Furthermore Sweden
can call on its mobilized force of 500 000. The country is also well-equipped
with 540 armoured tanks, 300 aircraft, 12 submarines and 30 surface vessels.
Sweden has always put a great deal of emphasis on its defence forces.
It is hard to protect a large and sparsely populated country. It is especially
difficult and expensive for a non-aligned country that did not want to
become too dependent on arms systems supplied by other countries. For
this same reason Sweden has also had a very strong defence industry that
has not only manufactured small arms but also the most advanced fighter
jets that are really the prerogatives of such giants as U.S.A., Russia,
Britain and France.
Sweden tops the list of the countries that invest the most money per capita for defence. During the period 1985 to 1997 Sweden increased its defence budget by 14 percent while other countries were cutting down. Swedes are very supportive of a strong defence for the country and in all opinion polls they have shown little support for cutbacks. During the last few years Swedish defence expenditure has remained relatively constant at about seven percent of central government spending. This is now changing and drastic changes in the whole defence structure are to be expected. Already fewer conscripts find themselves actually doing their military service and the period they serve is much shorter. More and more young Swedish boys will find themselves doing some kind of alternative civil service. There is much talk of" a flexible defence, a narrower defence.
For a country of its size that moreover has not been in war since 1814, Sweden has a very strong defence and an imposing defence industry. It is nothing short of remarkable that the country has mustered the economic, technical and industrial clout needed for such advanced airplane projects as the Drum, Dragon, Viggen and Gripen that are otherwise the prerogative of the U.S.A., Russia, Britain and France. Sweden now realizes that the JAS Grip en multirole combat plane was its last such project. In the future many countries will work together and the Saab-British Aerospace alliance signals such a beginning.
NORWAY
Norway with its population of 4.4 million has 35 000 employees in its armed forces and mobilized personnel of 234 000. Norway has as many submarines as Sweden but much fewer aircraft, only 73 and 170 armoured tanks. It also has 34 surface vessels.
FINLAND
Finland with a population of 5.2 million has 32 600 people involved in its armed forces plus 90 000 in its mobilized forces. Finland has no submarines but it has 230 armoured tanks, 57 aircraft and 28 surface vessels.
DENMARK
Denmark has 36 000 people in its armed forces for its population in 5.2 million. It also 100 000 mobilized personnel. Denmark has 200 armoured tanks, 992 aircraft, 5 submarines and 37 surface vessels.
Lars Kristensen
Scandinavian Press, Issue 2, 1999