The Quest for Relevant Air Power

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serve in international missions ought to be taken into consideration
in the recruitment of new conscripts. 44 Particularly the establishment
of the Swedish-led EU battle group called for modifications
in the recruiting system, as it required Sweden to have military
personnel available at very short notice. Accordingly, the 2004–5
defence bill foresaw national servicemen being employed for a
number of years. 45 As described later, the SwAF set up rapid reaction
units depending upon contracted personnel.
Only in 2009 was the abolishment or temporary annulment of
compulsory conscription seriously considered. As an alternative,
the Ministry of Defence proposed voluntary military service. 46
This shift towards a voluntary force can be explained by the 2009
government bill’s goal to strengthen Sweden’s defence capability
by creating immediately employable armed forces. The bill stated
that “the entire operational organisation of some 50,000 people
will be able to be used within a week after a decision on heightened
alert.” 47 Moreover, readily available armed forces also allow
Swedish decision makers to increase deployed personnel on peace
support operations.
Finally, on 19 May 2010, the Swedish Parliament formally suspended
compulsory military service. On 1 July 2010, the Ministry
of Defence initiated the transition to a 100 per cent professional
and contract force. 48 The Swedish armed forces are projected to
total 55,200 personnel by 2014, including civilians and 22,000 in
the home guard units, largely comprised of part-time soldiers. The
planning figure for the SwAF—including the Armed Forces Helicopter
Wing—is 3,350 personnel, approximately 650 of whom are
part-time professionals. 49
Defence Policy and Its Impact upon the Swedish Air Force.
At the outset of the post–Cold War era, the SwAF operated one of
the largest combat aircraft fleets in Europe, numbering more than
400 aircraft all of domestic manufacture. 50 Sweden’s threat and
risk perception has determined the size as well as structure of the
SwAF in the post–Cold War era.
During the Cold War, the Swedish armed forces were structured
in a way that would have allowed them to conduct a defence
in depth. The SwAF attack aircraft fleet, like the Swedish submarine
force, was intended to attack invading forces far out in the Baltic
Sea. Moreover, the coastal defences would have been supported by