The Swedish government plans to send Swedish fighter jets to Poland during spring and summer 2025 to participate in a NATO-led air defense operation and enhanced airspace surveillance.
The decision, presented as a way to safeguard military and civilian support to Ukraine, has attracted strong objections from critics who question both motives and consequences.
According to the bill, from May 1 to August 31, 2025, Sweden will provide up to eight Gripen fighter jets and associated personnel. The aim is to protect a logistics node in Poland that is used to deliver weapons and other support to Ukraine, and to participate between April and June in NATO’s so-called enhanced air policing, which began in 2014.
Defense Minister Pål Jonson points out that this is the first time Swedish fighter jets have operated from another country’s territory under NATO’s direct command, which he sees as a historic milestone.
”This is the first time Swedish fighter jets have participated in airspace surveillance from the territory of another ally. It is also the first time Swedish fighter jets participate abroad in NATO’s enhanced airspace surveillance under NATO’s leadership,” says Defense Minister Pål Jonson.
But not everyone is equally enthusiastic. Critics say the government’s decision draws Sweden deeper into a geopolitical conflict without adequately considering the risks. By placing Swedish fighter jets in Poland, close to the Russian sphere, Sweden could become a target for Russian attacks – something that threatens Sweden’s security.
Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard claims the operation both protects NATO airspace and secures arms supplies to Ukraine, but the question is whether this is really Sweden’s responsibility – or whether it is a sign of the government bowing to pressure from NATO.
Camilla Brodin, group leader of the Christian Democrats, defends the decision by saying that there are ”strong security policy reasons” for the operation and that it strengthens the security of Sweden, Europe and NATO. Skeptics wonder whether these reasons really hold up under closer scrutiny. Isn’t it rather the case that Sweden, as a new NATO member, feels compelled to show loyalty by sacrificing resources and potentially endangering its own population?
The Liberals’ Fredrik Malm calls support for Ukraine the government’s ”primary foreign policy task ” and stresses the importance of safeguarding supplies, but critics argue that this one-sided focus risks turning Sweden into a pawn in a larger game, reducing us to a supporting actor with no strategic control of our own.
The decision to send a combat aviation division to Poland between April and June 2025 has also raised practical concerns. How will Sweden ensure that this deployment does not weaken its own defenses, especially at a time of increased uncertainty in the Baltic Sea region, and what will be the cost – both financially and in terms of potential losses – if the situation escalates?
The government portrays the deployment as a necessary act of solidarity, but opponents see it as a risky step away from Sweden’s tradition of caution in international conflicts. Instead of strengthening security, they warn, this decision could make Sweden more vulnerable than ever.
By T. Sassersson, Editor, NewsVoice
Source: Swedish NATO operations in Poland to support Ukraine, Government Offices of Sweden