The Old Country Newsletter – Defence, The Apprentice & The Bush Presidents

My personal favorite book series of all time is The Emigrants, by the Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg. Through the four books in the series, we get to follow the triumphs and tribulations of early Swedish immigrants in America. In the first book, "The Emigrants," we meet Karl Oskar, Kristina Nilsson, their three children, and eleven others who set out from Småland in 1850, seeking a better life away from poverty, religious persecution, and social injustice.

By clicking here, you can learn more about the books and order a copy for yourself. Beyond getting your hands on an incredible book, it is also a great way to show support for this newsletter, as a few cents of each sale will help support our work.

Boost for Swedish Defense Amid ‘Serious Times’

Sweden’s government has unveiled plans to boost military spending by 174 billion SEK ($15.5 billion) through 2030, alongside an additional 37.5 billion SEK for civil defense.

Defense Minister Pål Jonson emphasized that these are "serious times" for global security, driven by Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and Sweden's growing integration into NATO. The proposed defense budget will see Sweden's defense expenditure rise to 2.6% of GDP by 2028, significantly expanding military personnel to 130,000 by 2035 and modernizing weapon systems, including drones and air defense. While civil defense will focus on ensuring key sectors like transport, food, and healthcare are war-ready, challenges remain.

The defense strategy faces rising costs for military equipment and a shortage of personnel, particularly officers. Despite these hurdles, the government highlights a broad political consensus on the need for a stronger defense system, aiming to rebuild what was diminished over decades. The government also aims to strengthen Sweden’s resilience against future conflicts, inspired by Ukraine's ongoing defense efforts. This initiative marks a paradigm shift in Sweden's defense policy after years of relatively low prioritization.

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Sweden’s economic landscape is undergoing a major shift as the government announces the end of its 30-year surplus target.

Introduced in 1997 to tackle a soaring national debt, the policy ensured public finances would run in surplus to reduce the state’s financial obligations. However, in recent years, critics have argued that the target restricted much-needed public investments in infrastructure, climate measures, and defense.

Now, six parliamentary parties have reached an agreement to scrap the surplus goal and replace it with a balance target, which allows for more financial flexibility while keeping public finances stable over time. This new approach is expected to give politicians an additional 25 billion kronor annually to fund initiatives, a welcome boost as they gear up for the next election.

However, not everyone is celebrating. The Left and Green parties have voiced concerns, arguing that the new plan won’t provide enough resources to meet critical needs, such as massive investments in railways and climate action. Meanwhile, the government is focused on building new nuclear power plants and continuing defense expansions. With demands piling up, politicians will have more room to promise big, but they’ll still face tough decisions on where to allocate funds.