VZCZCXRO0679
OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHSM #1277/01 2891409
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 161409Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2802
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL IMMEDIATE 0062
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 STOCKHOLM 001277 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/15/2017 
TAGS: MARR MOPS PREL OTRA PGOV SW
SUBJECT: SWEDEN'S DEFENSE MINISTER ON AFGHANISTAN, BUDGET 
BATTLES, INTERNATIONAL DEPLOYMENTS 
 
REF: A. HELSINKI 753 
     ¶B. STOCKHOLM 1239 
     ¶C. STOCKHOLM 1101 
     ¶D. STATE 140269 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Wood, reason 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
Summary 
-------- 
¶1.  (c) During a one-on-one October 15 meeting, Minister of 
Defense Tolgfors told Ambassador: 
 
-- Finland proposed the possibility of a rotation of the 
leadership of the PRT in Mazar-e-Sharif Afghanistan.  Sweden 
did not see this as a way of removing itself from its 
obligation there. 
 
-- Sweden's defense budget cuts do not signal a new 
direction.  Sweden remains committed to doubling its 
international operation deployments.  Proposed budget cuts 
are directed at expensive projects for production and 
acquisition of hardware not appropriate for defense 
priorities. 
 
-- Ministry of Defense role in Defense issues has not been 
diminished by recent resignations over budget disputes and 
the Defense Ministry, not the Finance Ministry, continues to 
be prime on defense issues. 
 
End Summary 
 
Defense Priorities 
------------------ 
¶2.  (c) Ambassador met October 15 with Sweden's new Minister 
of Defense Sten Tolgfors (ref B), at the invitation of the 
Minister.  Tolgfors told the Ambassador Sweden has two goals 
for its defense.  First, to double its capabilities for 
international operations; second, to buy more efficiently, 
ensuring that what is sought and procured corresponds to 
requirements for military priorities. 
 
Afghanistan PRT 
--------------- 
¶3. (C) Tolgfors confirmed that Finland proposed the 
possibility of a rotation of the leadership of the PRT in 
Mazar-e-Sharif Afghanistan.  Sweden received this proposal 
positively since it showed continued Nordic cooperation and 
increased Finnish contribution to Afganistan.  Sweden did not 
see this as a way of removing itself from or reducing its 
obligation there. (Comment:  Helsinki reports -- ref A -- 
that the Finns have heard from the Swedes that Sweden may 
reduce its forces in the PRT for budgetary reasons.  Both 
Tolgfors and MFA PolDir Lyrvall -- ref B -- have assured us 
that any adjustment in the ratio of Swedish/Finnish forces in 
Afghanistan will be in the context of enhancing Nordic 
cooperation and that Sweden has no intention of withdrawing 
from Afghanistan.) 
 
¶4.  (c) Regarding overall international operations, Tolgfors 
said that the goal was to double from the current level of 
under 1,000 troops deployed abroad to more than 2,000.  In 
the event that Sweden was called upon to deploy the EU Nordic 
Battle Group, which it leads, Sweden's contribution of troops 
abroad would more than treble, counting the over 2000 Swedish 
troops in the Battle Group.  Tolgfors said his goal was to 
expand the use of the Airforce and Navy in international 
deployments, rather than concentrating on Army troops, which 
is the current model.  (Comment:  we note that consistent 
with this priority, the contingent Sweden plans to furnish to 
the EU CFSP deployment in Chad will consist of 200 Marine 
Riflemen.  End Comment.) 
 
¶5.  (c) Regarding the budget reductions, Tolgfors said he was 
able after his appointment as Minister of Defense (ref C) to 
decrease the size of defense budget reductions by about 150 
million USD, resulting in total projected defense budget cuts 
through 2010 of 300-450 million USD, largely concentrated in 
hardware not relevant to Defense's current international 
missions. 
 
MNF-I Coalition Conference on Iraq 
---------------------------------- 
¶6.  (c) Ambassador also raised with Tolgfors Sweden's 
invitation to the Bahrain October 29-31 MNF-I Coalition 
Conference on Iraq (ref D).  Tolgfors said he would look into 
it.  MFA PolDir Lyrvall's assistant told us October 15 a 
decision on participation was still pending. 
 
Comment 
 
STOCKHOLM 00001277  002 OF 002 
 
 
------- 
¶7.  (C) USEMB Stockholm perceives Tolgfors objectives at this 
meeting as threefold: First, to reassure that Tolgfors and 
his Ministry are in charge of defense matters and that they 
are not unduly influenced by the Finance Minister as a result 
of the recent resignations of the top two Ministry officials 
over a budget dispute;  Second, to clarify what Tolgfors 
perceived to be misrepresentations in the media of the true 
nature of the Defense cuts; Finally, that Sweden continues to 
be committed to long-term participation in internationally 
sanctioned peacekeeping activities. 
WOOD