ข้อตกลงทวิภาคีทางทหารระหว่าง USA และ สวีเดน ( DCA ) เปิดโอกาศให้มีอาวุธ nuclear ไว้ในสวีเดน

The DCA agreement opens up nuclear weapons in Sweden

Swedish Peace: We demand a written no in the military agreement with the USA

This is a debate article. It is the writer who stands for the opinions expressed in the text, not Aftonbladet.

Published at 06:00

In June, the Riksdag will vote on Sweden's military agreement with the United States. The DCA agreement breaks the promise of no permanent bases in Sweden and opens the door to nuclear weapons on Swedish territory, writes Kerstin Bergeå.

In June, the Riksdag will vote on Sweden's military agreement with the United States. The DCA agreement breaks the promise of no permanent bases in Sweden and opens the door to nuclear weapons on Swedish territory, writes Kerstin Bergeå.

Photo: Getty

DEBATE

DEBATE. According to government representatives, the bilateral military agreement (DCA) between Sweden and the USA will not lead to "nuclear weapons or foreign permanent bases on Swedish territory". Despite the fact that the agreement provides the conditions for a permanent American military presence in Sweden.

There are currently no guarantees that it may not also involve nuclear weapons on Swedish territory.

The agreement means that the US is given unhindered access to 17 Swedish military facilities, parts of which are reserved exclusively for the US. The agreement also gives the US access to Swedish airports and ports and the right to store American materials in Sweden.

The agreement must be implemented based on Swedish consent, legislation and sovereignty. However, no verification possibilities are included in the agreement and Sweden will have limited insight into American operations here.

It is also unclear whether Sweden has the option to deny American access or activities, if these would conflict with Swedish law or interests. An agreement based only on trust in these important matters is not sufficient.

During the NATO process, both the former S-government and the current M-led government maintained that there is no reason to have permanent bases or nuclear weapons on Swedish territory in peacetime.

However, the agreement creates de facto conditions for the permanent presence of American forces in Sweden.

The design of the DCA agreement reflects a changed US base policy. In contrast to previous, large and independent bases abroad, since the 2000s the US has focused on so-called "cooperative security locations": bases that are smaller in size, secretive in nature and often difficult to distinguish from the host country's own facilities.

Although they have a different structure, the DCA agreement is thus only a new form of US permanent presence. The Danish government refers to its DCA agreement as precisely "more permanent American military presence in Denmark".

The follow-up question also becomes what guarantees that the agreement cannot involve nuclear weapons in Sweden and that the current stance is not just political rhetoric that can quickly change?

During the NATO process, governments of various colors have said that Sweden should have the same stance on nuclear weapons as Norway and Denmark.

But, unlike in Norway and Denmark's DCA agreement, there is no reservation in the Swedish one against nuclear weapons being brought into or placed in Sweden. Finland has a national law prohibiting nuclear weapons on Finnish territory and Finland's DCA agreement refers to this law.

As it stands now, Sweden stands out among the Nordic countries by not making any demands regarding nuclear weapons. A reservation in the Swedish DCA agreement would strengthen the Nordic region and contribute to a joint de-escalation vis-à-vis Russian nuclear weapons.

It would also be in solidarity with our neighboring countries that have clearly distanced themselves.

We have been told that the Swedish stance is clear, but we do not agree. Political positions and rhetoric can swing quickly and sharply, we learned that not least from the NATO process.

In June, the Riksdag will vote on the DCA agreement. Swedish Peace demands a written reservation against nuclear weapons on Swedish territory, so that the Swedish people can be guaranteed that neither this nor future governments will allow nuclear weapons in Sweden.

The government and the Social Democrats also need to clarify their position on what they mean by permanent bases. How does their definition of permanent bases differ from the DCA agreement?

Kerstin Bergeå, chair Swedish Peace and Arbitration Association