The DCA agreement with the USA makes Sweden safer, says Sweden's Supreme Commander Micael Bydén.
He downplays the risk of nuclear weapons being brought into Sweden or into Swedish airspace.
We decide ourselves who comes here with what.
Micael Bydén took command on October 1, 2015. Now he is leaving as Supreme Commander this fall after nine years in the post.
The Riksdag has recently said yes to the DCA agreement between Sweden and the USA, and the government has announced that the agreement can come into force in August.
American soldiers will have access to 17 Swedish military bases and the opportunity to pre-position weapons and other equipment.
"Becomes very smooth"
The agreement also means that Sweden can more quickly receive military support from the USA in a deteriorated security situation.
It becomes very smooth. It becomes flexible. And it becomes safer, says Micael Bydén in an interview on the submarine rescue ship Belos, which is in harbor in Visby.
The agreement is a natural step in light of NATO membership and cooperation with the USA, says Bydén.
When the first American soldier will be in place, he does not know at present. He says further that the USA will not utilize the 17 bases directly, but the presence will be built up.
What the Americans want to pre-position and where is also something he does not know, that process will take place later, but Bydén is clear that the Defense Forces will be informed about what the USA brings in.
It's not like you come here and build a house and put in a lot of stuff. But this will happen in close dialogue.
Nuclear weapons in Sweden?
The debate about the DCA agreement has largely concerned the introduction of nuclear weapons on Swedish soil or in Swedish airspace.
Bydén wants to downplay the question and sees neither a risk nor a need for the introduction of nuclear weapons in Sweden.
There is no logic behind bringing nuclear weapons to Sweden, because they exist in countries that have nuclear weapons. They exist in places where they are supposed to operate with them or on platforms that do not operate in this part of the world. So it's not needed.
At the same time, he understands that the question is important for Sweden, which has historically been driving in issues of nuclear disarmament.
But the agreement itself should not be linked to any self-evidence that there will now be nuclear weapons. There is no need. We decide ourselves who comes here with what. So I think you should de-dramatize the question.
In the event of war, the introduction of nuclear weapons would be a political decision, says Bydén.
For me, the question becomes hypothetical. But it has not been raised in any forum where I move.
