The Swedish government has submitted the country’s Defense Cooperation Agreement with the United States to the Riksdag for parliamentary approval.
The DCA bill seeks to facilitate U.S. military presence in the country and supplement Sweden’s recent NATO accession to strengthen Swedish defense, Stockholm said in a statement.
The country’s security policy has fundamentally changed because Russia’s Ukraine invasion degraded European security, making it necessary for Sweden to act swiftly on complex security developments, it added.
Pal Jonson, Sweden’s minister for defense, described the proposed agreement as a stabilizing factor that reduces the risk of war. “With the DCA, Sweden can receive early, swift and effective military support from the United States in a deteriorating security situation, which is carefully regulated and based on Swedish consent,” he said.
Under the Swedish parliamentary process, a submitted government bill is assigned to one of Riksdag’s standing committees for a report for debate and approval by the whole legislative body. The United States already has bilateral DCAs with several European countries, including Finland, another new NATO member.
In a related development, Swedish government leaders are visiting the United States to discuss strengthening trans-Atlantic cooperation on defense and cybersecurity.