The Quest for Relevant Air Power

swedish Air Force │ 303
forces conducted missions at the upper level of the spectrum of
military force together with their French counterparts. This Franco-
Swedish force provided the EU task force with a highly effective
capability to engage and neutralize armed threats. 129 Again in 2004,
the Swedish government deployed heavily armed troops to Liberia.
The unit consisted of 231 soldiers with armoured personnel carriers,
acting as a standby force for quick intervention in particularly difficult
situations. 130 Hence, it can be concluded that it might only be
a question of time until JAS 39 fighter-bombers will engage in deployed
operations, despite the new emphasis upon regional scenarios
in the wake of the crisis in Georgia. This assumption is corroborated
by a 2004 opinion poll. According to this survey, half of the
Swedish population supported robust military operations at the request
of the UN or the EU, even if they entailed fatalities. 131
The option of potentially employing offensive forces in deployed
operations was pursued incrementally. In 2001 the minister of defence,
Björn von Sydow, declared that SWAFRAP AJS 37 would be
relegated to reconnaissance and air-defence missions. Groundattack
missions were regarded as too risky, involving a high probability
of collateral damage. The minister, however, added that this
position might be reconsidered in the future. 132 Already in 2003,
the Swedish Defence Commission argued that the capacity to engage
in deployed armed conflict is considered to be a key competence
of the Swedish armed forces. 133 In an interview with the author
in February 2006, the state secretary for defence, Jonas Hjelm,
declared that once JAS 39 fighter-bombers are able to deliver
LGBs, this capability could in principle be employed within a robust
peace support operation, provided there is a UN mandate
and tight political control of potential air strikes. 134 Gaining political
leverage might certainly have played a major role in Sweden’s
decision to consider joining in the early entry phase of an
operation. Moreover, it has become an international norm for
troops involved in peace support operations to have a robust escalation
capacity at their disposal.
Humanitarian Operations, Troop Deployments,
and Subsidiary Tasks
Since the delivery of the first C-130 in 1965, Swedish C-130
Hercules transport planes have participated in relief operations