Sweden it will join British-led JEF military force

STOCKHOLM — Sweden’s center-left government said on Thursday it had decided its military would participate in the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force, a rapid response unit which can support NATO or U.N. troops anywhere in the world.

Non-aligned Sweden has been growing increasingly concerned about its security following Russia’s annexation of the Crimea in 2014 and has been edging closer to NATO while ruling out full-membership.

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“Cooperating with other countries will give us the ability to develop our military capabilities and at the same time build inter-operability and security with others,” Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist said in a statement.

The coalition government has boosted spending on defense and re-introduced the draft among other measures to boost Sweden’s military capabilities.

[Sweden edges up military spending, says more to come]

Last year, Sweden and Finland signed an agreement to let NATO forces operate on its soil for training or in a crisis.

Sweden will join Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the Netherlands as part of the JEF force. It will be the only non-NATO member.

In 2013, Sweden’s own military questioned its ability to defend itself for more than a week against a Russian attack, but the current Social Democrat-led government has ruled out joining NATO.

Swedes remain strongly against NATO membership, opinion polls show.

Reporting by Simon Johnson.