Editing Swedish Armed Forces (section)

== History ==
{{main|Military history of Sweden}}

The history of the Swedish Armed Forces dates back to the early sixteenth century, when they were founded by the newly crowned monarch [[Gustav Vasa|Gustav I Vasa]]. Since then, they have played an important role in the history of Sweden; they have been engaged in numerous conflicts since their founding. 

It was in the seventeenth century that the Swedish Armed Forces reached their height, during the time of the Swedish Empire. During this time, they were among the leaders in military innovation, and engaged in many wars; among the Swedish wars of the seventeenth century were the [[Thirty Years' War]], [[Second Northern War]], [[Scanian War]] and [[Great Northern War]]. The [[military of the Swedish Empire]] was one of the most important institutions in the empire.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ceithernach |date=2021-01-04 |title=The Swedish Military Machine |url=https://medium.com/@ceithernach/the-swedish-military-machine-dd10c6a245f8 |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=Medium |language=en}}</ref>

After a period of enhanced readiness during [[World War I]], the Swedish Armed Forces were subject to severe downsizing during the interwar years. When [[World War II]] started, a large rearmament program was launched to once again guard Swedish neutrality, relying on mass male [[Conscription in Sweden|conscription]] as a source for personnel.

After World War II, Sweden considered building [[nuclear weapons]] to deter a Soviet invasion. From 1945 to 1972 the Swedish government ran [[Swedish nuclear weapons program|a clandestine nuclear weapons program]] under the guise of civilian defence research at the [[Swedish National Defence Research Institute]]. By the late 1950s, the work had reached the point where underground testing was feasible. However, at that time the [[Riksdag]] prohibited research and development of nuclear weapons, pledging that research should be done only for the purpose of defence against nuclear attack. The option to continue development was abandoned in 1966, and Sweden subsequently signed the [[Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons|Non-Proliferation Treaty]] in 1968; the program was finally concluded in 1972.

During the [[Cold War]], the wartime mass conscription system was kept in place to act as a deterrent to the [[Soviet Union]], seen as the greatest military threat to Sweden. The end of the Cold War and [[the collapse of the Soviet Union]] meant that the perceived threat lessened and the armed forces were downsized, with conscription taking in fewer and fewer recruits until it was deactivated in 2010. This small size is often considered one of the major strategic weaknesses of the Swedish Armed Forces.<ref>{{Cite web |last=dpeleschuk |date=2022-05-18 |title=Sweden would strengthen NATO with fresh thinking and an able force |url=https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/sweden-would-strengthen-nato-with-fresh-thinking-and-an-able-force/ |access-date=2023-12-13 |website=Atlantic Council |language=en-US}}</ref>

The [[Russo-Georgian War]] of 2008 and the events in Ukraine in 2014 gradually shifted Swedish debate back in favour of increased defence spending, as concerns grew over Russia's military buildup and intentions. Conscription was reintroduced in 2017 to supplement the insufficient number of volunteers signing up for service. Unlike in the past, the current conscription system applies to both men and women.

Following the [[Brexit|United Kingdom leaving the European Union]] in 2020, the EU's mutual defence clause ([[Treaty of Lisbon|Lisbon Treaty]] Article 42.7) ceased to apply to the UK. In 2022, Sweden and the UK signed a mutual security deal, re-pledging support if either state is attacked.<ref>{{Cite web |title=EUR-Lex - mutual_defence - EN - EUR-Lex |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/glossary/mutual-defence-clause.html |access-date=2022-07-08 |website=eur-lex.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kauranen |first=Anne |date=2022-05-11 |title=UK strikes new security agreement with Sweden and Finland |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/uk-strikes-new-security-agreement-with-sweden-finland-2022-05-11/ |access-date=2022-07-08}}</ref>

On June 29, 2022, Finland and Sweden were formally invited to become members of [[NATO]],<ref name="enter">{{cite news |last1=Chatterjee |first1=Phelan |title=Sweden and Finland's journey from neutral to Nato |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61397478 |website=BBC.com |date=10 May 2022 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=23 September 2022}}</ref> and joined respectively in 2023 and 2024.