By the author of Be Ready for Anything and the online course Bloom Where You’re Planted
A few weeks back, the government of Sweden sent out a booklet to every household in the country urging citizens to prepare for war or other crises. A few months back, they told citizens that they should be prepared to last for at least a week without any help from the government. Last night, in the most unsettling move yet, they mobilized the entire Swedish Home Guard for an “unannounced preparedness exercise.” All 40 battalions have been activated, effective immediately.
The report is on the Försvarsmakten website, which is the official website of the Swedish Armed Forces. Here’s the English translation:
For the first time since 1975, the Armed Forces carry out an unannounced emergency preparedness control of the entire Hemvärnet. All staff around Sweden who are part of one of the 40 home war battalions and who have the opportunity to attend the evening of 5 June and during the national day will be in charge of service. The alarm is ordered by the Armed Forces and participation in the exercise is voluntary.
“We are committed to strengthening Sweden’s defense and increasing our operational capabilities. This is a way to do it. This exercise is great in several ways. We are testing the emergency chain for almost half our intervention organization, we have not done since 1975, says Micael Bydén, the commander.
Initially, staff – from north to south – will be contacted and invited to stand for service. Thereafter, relations will begin to solve tasks, such as protection, guarding and patrolling. During the national day, home care personnel will be seen in many places around the country, from ports and airports to streets and squares. Since it is a voluntary exercise, the Armed Forces can not force anyone to settle, but the chief commander shows great confidence in his staff. (source)
What this means
The Hemvärnet is the Swedish equivalent of the American National Guard.
The Home Guard – National Security Forces (Swedish: Hemvärnet – Nationella Skyddsstyrkorna) is a military reserve force of the Swedish Armed Forces. It was formally established on May 29, 1940, during World War II upon popular demand. While originally composed of former militia groups, today it comprises half of the Swedish Army, thus constituting the basis of the territorial defense of Sweden.
The Swedish National Home Guard consists mainly of local rapid response units, numbering 17,000 of the 22,000 total Home Guard strength, organized in 40 battalions, with 23 associated auxiliary defense organizations. (source)
This “unannounced preparedness exercise” may be just that – a readiness drill. But there are a few things that ring some warning bells for me:
- A “drill” of this magnitude hasn’t happened since 1975 at the height of the Cold War
- It’s occurring on the heels of two other warnings of looming war or crises
- And keep in mind that the war preparedness book that was recently sent out mentioned the possibility of re-establishing conscription (the draft), too.
The Swedish website, The Local, reports:
The exercise is part of Sweden’s national effort to rebuild its Cold War Total Defence strategy in response to an increasingly belligerent Russia. The last time Sweden’s Armed Forces called up the entire Home Guard at once was in 1975 at the height of the Cold War.Just a week ago Sweden’s Civil Contingencies Agency sent out its “If Crisis or War Comes” brochure to more than four million Swedish households, advising them to stock up on water, tinned and dry food, and other essentials to increase Sweden’s resilience.The country also last month reestablished a regiment on the Baltic island of Gotland.In the event of an invasion, Sweden’s Home Guard is responsible for protecting the core functions of the Swedish state, guarding government agencies, airports, or ports, so that the professional army is free for front-line duties. (source)
It would be wise to be on the lookout for something to happen soon. What that “something” might be, of course, is open to speculation.
What do you think is going on?
Could they be preparing to quell a migrant uprising in the no-go zones? Back in January, the Swedish Prime Minister said he did not “rule out the use of the army to end gang violence.” Or are they truly concerned about a threat from Russia? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
I suspect it’s to remind all their neighboring countries that Sweden is neutral, but no pushover. Since they aren’t a NATO member, they don’t have the NATO mutual defense pact (Article 5) to fall back on. So I believe they are reminding folks (like Putin) that they aren’t some pushover like Ukraine.
Given their position between the Baltic sea and the North Sea (along with Denmark which IS a NATO member), Putin might get frisky if he wanted better access to the North Sea from St. Petersburg.
There’s no indication of a Russian attack. Furthermore, Russian armed forces are geared toward defensive, not offensive tactics so this is just another example of the Elite escalating their ’state of fear.’
If the Russians actually attacked ‘poofy’ Swedes, it would be over in a matter of hours. Stock up on white surrender flags.
I’m sure the French have some left over!
EXACTLY…!!!!!!!!!!! This is all drama. Either Sweden is totally bat-shít crazy or they’re planning on doing something within the country. The country is pathetic….!
“Furthermore, Russian armed forces are geared toward defensive, not offensive tactics…a’
Exactly. Just ask the Crimean Tatars.
Gerold, try telling the Ukranians, the Afghans and the Chechens that ‘Russian armed forces are geared toward defensive, not offensive tactics .
The alleged Russian threat is probably a smokescreen for a different threat whose magnitude they don’t want to reveal to their citizens at this time. One such threat must certainly be the migrant invasion that has already taken place and is far more dangerous to Sweden than any imagined Russian invasion. In fact, at this point they should hope the Russians invade and settle the migrant problem for them. Other threats they might not want the population to know about yet could be related to geological disasters or objects they’ve seen approaching from space, such as asteroids or Niburu.
what ever it is it aint good
If the muskim immigrants are fully integrated into Swedish society, are they also being ‘called to arms’?
IMHO the immigrants are s much bigger threat than any Russians.
this is propaganda. for public consumption only. both here and there. sweden has been making public statements against russia in fealty to the united states and nato for the last few years. if anyone is being belligerent it’s nato. russia only has two military bases outside it’s own borders. the u.s. has hundreds. this is a repeat of the propaganda war against russia during the crimean war.
if you look into the history of fighting russia, you have to go no further than the winter war that finland waged against russia in 1939. they kicked russia’s(well actually the soviet union’s) butt but had to accept a loss of land to gain peace.
the finns have not forgotten this war and are on a much surer military footing to defend themselves. the finns aren’t generally so anti russian at the moment. if finland mobilizes, then you can start to wonder what’s going on.
If Sweden was worried, participation in the operation would not be voluntary.
Phfft.
The threat of war is as good at controlling the people as war itself for a lot less money and no destruction.
It’s called a “Strategy of Tension”.
they’re going to flush the islamic cockroaches out of the country…..
They are facing a different kind of invasion this time.
It’s about time they realize it.
The only enemy Sweden has is the one within, whom they allowed and invited in. But because they are also a puppet of the Empire, it likely has something to do with the Russian bogeyman myth that has been created. It is concerning because it is highly likely, as warnings are now coming from both Syria and the Russian ministry that the U.S., France and Britain, along with their terrorist proxies are planning another false flag chemical attack. I’ve been expecting this since the last farce. I’m also suspicious that they will combine this with a massive Ukrainian attack against both the Donesk region and Crimea to occupy Russia. This will allow the Empire to finish their goal of destroying, not just Syria and ousting or killing Assad, but also destroying Iran. I think this is coming within days.
But, but, but … the evils of capitalists bent on world domination.
We socialist Europeans know that the evil regimes never come from us.
It ain’t the Russians….. Russia could invade and totally overwhelm Sweden in a couple of heartbeats, with minimal losses. Think of using a hammer to kill an ant.
The Migrant –Moose-Limb – invasion has finally kicked the country in the cojones once too often. Rape squads abound. Malmo has become a third world s**t- hole where police and fire departments have no-patrol zones. So many daughters and wives have been attacked that SOMETHING needed to be done….
When mass deportation begins the Army will be needed to stop the rioting.
A few weeks back, the government of Sweden sent out a booklet to every household in the country urging citizens to prepare for war or other crises. A few months back, they told citizens that they should be prepared to last for at least a week without any help from the government…………………PURE lies from the gob of Daisy
Perhaps they figured out that 43 years between full callouts was a bit excessive as a display of trust from a neutral country? An 18 year old Home Guard member in 1975 is 61 years old now, well past most useful military service.
Certainly, Russian innovations in hybrid war (Putin’s little green men) and domestic issues arising from migration could also play a part. Even absent these two possibilities as national security threats, there should probably be a call out every 5-10 years to make sure that the guard doesn’t completely forget how to do its job. Even Russia should be worried about that level of security laxity in its neighborhood.
Why does Sweden even gave a military? They let in moslom invaders intent on destroying Sweden and raping their women and children, Sweden even paying them to come live in Sweden and rape their kids. Is the Swedish military to be used to protect the moslom rapists from Swedes? I can’t see any other use for a Swedish military. Can you?
The Swedish government and media have been subverted by Putin’s agents pushing insane immigration policies and berating young Swedish men for their natural territorial feelings. Putin can take Sweden like an over-ripe fruit by simply promising to rule Sweden with moderate immigration policy. When Russian troops march in, the Swedish military will _pretend_ to fight.
Lol, Putin must have a lot of agents in Sweden to make them all insane enough to help moslom rapists take over their country. I guess if Putin could get Trump elected in the US, then perhaps Putin has godlike powers we can hardly comprehend!
I read that some people think the invaders (in all nations around the world) will rise up and go violent upon the orders of their ISIS leaders. Perhaps they are preparing for something like that. Would be a good idea.
This may be the plan. Back in the 90s I worked for the fedgov and a coworker who is moslom just out of the blue one day when we were alone that “they just weren’t going to let many live”, and I looked at him to continue his speaking and he smiled at me. As he continued smiling at me, he said “white people” and walked away. Since he and I got along, I wondered if I was to be allowed to live as his pet or something in his new nonwhite America. back then i knew little about mosloms or the demon they worship who deceived their false prophet, but I do now. I suppose Dearborn will be the capitol of their new caliphate, and would explain why dearborn isn’t a hotbed of jihad at this time. They may be planning a great jihad to take over the USA, but for now it’s just on paper. They know when they make their move they will lose everything.
All I can say is they can try, but America has over 300 million guns, trillions of rounds of ammunition, and maybe 100 million gun owners who love the US Constitution. That, friends, is the greatest army yet to exist.