The Quest for Relevant Air Power

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In the wake of the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, nonstate
actors shifted into the focus of Swedish security policy. It was
emphasised that conflicts with local origins could have repercussions
far outside the actual area of conflict, endangering global
stability as a whole. Regardless, Sweden’s regional security was
deemed positive. 25 Finally in 2003, any form of armed attack on
Sweden by another state was not expected to be likely within the
space of at least 10 years. 26 This positive assessment can be related
to the Baltic states being integrated into NATO and the EU, which
was perceived to strengthen decisively Sweden’s own security. 27 With
the integration of these countries into established European structures,
the Baltic region—the buffer zone between Sweden and Russia—
was no longer seen as a grey zone in Swedish security policy, which
fundamentally changed the strategic situation in the immediate
vicinity. These developments reinforced the shift in Sweden’s security
policy from one primarily emphasising territorial defence to
one aiming at robust contributions to international security.
The positive security assessment within Sweden’s neighbourhood
stood in stark contrast to other regions of the world. Swedish
Government Bill 2004/05:5, Our Future Defence, underlines the
concerns about stability in the wider world. Regional conflicts
were not believed to be restricted to a single country or region;
instead, they could produce ripple effects. Leni Björklund, minister
of defence at the time, concluded that by participating in international
operations for peace and security, Sweden would enhance
its own security. 28 This is a significant conclusion, given Sweden’s
legacy of neutrality. The fact that Sweden wanted to be perceived
as a reliable partner amongst Western states certainly contributed
to a stronger Swedish involvement in international security affairs,
as is examined in the section on alliance policy.
However, the 2008 Russian military intervention in Georgia
was received by Swedish decision makers with a certain degree of
concern and gave new impetus to the importance of a capability to
counter limited but rapidly occurring military crises. In 2009 a
new government bill, A Functional Defence, was issued to meet
these concerns. While it argued that both NATO and the EU exerted
a stabilising influence upon the Baltic region and that the
threat of invasion from a previous superpower had disappeared,