The Quest for Relevant Air Power

swedish Air Force │ 325
rapid reaction units regularly participated in multinational integrated
exercises and exclusively drew upon professional and contracted
personnel for potential deployed operations. Moreover,
the demands of interoperability dictated the SwAF’s force structure.
Only NATO interoperable combat aircraft are retained in the
operational squadrons. Force reductions have been partly made
up through force multiplying factors such as increased situational
awareness as well as swing-role-capable combat aircraft and advanced
armament. It can be concluded that Sweden’s alliance policy
and emphasis upon power projection were the driving factors behind
the SwAF’s transformation since 1999. Yet, against the backdrop
of a reasserting Russia, Nordic defence scenarios in cooperation
with other neighbouring states will most likely become the
cornerstone of the SwAF’s continuing adaptation.
During the Cold War and throughout the 1990s, international
operations were completely divorced from Sweden’s main defence
effort. The SwAF’s implicit response to Desert Storm was not to
emulate its Western counterparts but to improve its air defence for
countering the new capabilities of precision air power. Today, it is
the declared aim to generate defence resources which are polyvalent
and can be used in both a national and international context.
This dual-use approach combined with the indigenous combat
aircraft industry has restricted the buildup of adequate force
enablers for deployed operations. A relatively large strategic airlift
fleet only makes sense in the international context, and Sweden’s
aircraft industry required economy of scale to avoid excessive
costs. Therefore, given Sweden’s limited defence budget, the imbalance
between strike assets and force enablers could not substantially
be redressed. Through cooperative ventures such as
SALIS or NATO’s Strategic Airlift Capability initiative, these
shortcomings can most likely only be mitigated. As in the case of
SWAFRAP JAS 39, it can be assumed that the NBG Gripen detachment
is still dependent upon foreign assistance in deployed
scenarios, particularly when operating from bare bases.
Sweden’s shift towards enhanced deployability also had an impact
upon the prioritisation of the SwAF’s air power roles. Whereas
air defence was the predominant mission in the 1990s, the ability
to influence events on the ground has gained in importance. This
shift in importance is closely related to the changing threat and