www.militaar.net

All communications went down in Norway's Finnmark for several hours today. Fiber broken between Vadsø and Vardø.
Wednesday the sea-fiber cable in Gjesvær failed, and Friday the fiber between Vadsø and Vardø.

Two detained for intruding protected naval facility of Muskö near Stockholm, #Sweden. Happened Sunday 2nd of Dec, 01 local time. Guards fired several warning shots.

SVT: Two detained are foreign nationals. Unknown from which country at this point. Base guard fired warning shot(s?) after they refused to obey orders.

Two people entered the Muskö base during the night. The security guard discovered the people and relieved warning shots - something that happens very rarely in the military area. The carers are foreign citizens, states the Armed Forces.

The intrusion was detected at 01 o'clock during the night against Sunday.

- In connection with disposal, the security guard has released a warning shot because the individuals have not acted in accordance with his directive, "says Magnus Jirlind, Chief Prosecutor at the Swedish Defense Forces, SVT.

The two people who committed intrusion are foreign citizens.

"I do not have information about which nation it is," says Magnus Jirlind.

He also has no information about what the people did in the area.

May impose fines or imprisonment
The persons have been handed over to the police who are investigating the case. Staying without a permit on a protection object may impose fines or imprisonment.

The muskö base, embedded in the rock on Muskö in Haninge municipality south of Stockholm, is a military protective object and the persons were detained in accordance with the protection act. The plant inside the mountain has a surface that corresponds to the Old Town in Stockholm.

The Armed Forces have settled parts of their activities there, but the dry docks are still being used for the maintenance of the Navy's ships.

The intruders either went over or through a fence - now confirmed by the Swedish Armed Forces spokesperson to DN, largest Swedish morning paper.

Aftonbladet: detained are English and Belgian, "thought the place was abandoned"(no official confirmation yet)

Leaks in HNoMS Helge Ingstad’s watertight compartments could be responsible for the frigate’s sinking following a collision in the Hjeltefjorden fjord, a preliminary report from the Norwegian Accident Investigation Board (AIBN) suggests.

In addition to blaming the vessel’s lack of watertight integrity for the sinking, the report points to the two ships’ watchstanders as the main factors in the collision itself.

Released on November 29, 21 days after HNoMS Helge Ingstad collided with the tanker Sola TS in the Hjeltefjorden fjord near Bergen, the report points to flooding in the aft generator room, crew quarters, and the stores room.

While there was some uncertainty as to whether the steering engine room, the aftmost compartment, was also filling up with water, the report states that the crew definitely found that water from the aft generator room was running into the gear room via the hollow propeller shafts and that the gear room was filling up fast.

From the gear room, the water then ran into and was flooding the aft and fore engine rooms via the stuffing boxes in the bulkheads.

Based on the findings, AIBN has recommended Spanish shipbuilder Navantia, the vessel’s designer, to look into the issues identified during the investigation and to determine whether this was also an issue with other vessels.

Missiles have been removed from sunken #Norwegian #frigate #HELGEINGSTAD. This is the salvage plan: fuel is removed, chains placed under the ship; crane ship lifts the frigate into a flooded floating drydock which is pumped out to take the frigate to base

Sweden: Person detained after intruding military compound in Bålsta, north of Stockholm

The defense preparation does not think that today's brigades are enough
Published yesterday 21.19
A broad majority in the defense preparation agrees that the army during the next defense decision shall consist of three mechanized brigades. SVT experiences this. Today there is only one functioning mechanized brigade within the army.

During the past week, the members of the defense committee have had frequent meetings to negotiate parts of the report's report. The report will be presented in May next year. According to Sweden's television experience, there is now a consensus on how the army should be organized in the future.

A broad majority of the members of the committee agree that by 2025 the army will have three mechanized brigades. Skaraborgs brigade, Norrlandsbrigaden and Skånebrigaden. In addition, the battle group on Gotland will remain and a lighter infantry brigade will be established in Stockholm.

Shared assessment
Army chief Karl Engelbrektson shares the defense preparation's assessment.

-It is logical to have five army units because ÖB has identified five military geographical areas of particular importance. Then there is an army presence needed in these areas. We look forward to a plan with five units, says Army Chief Karl Engelbrektson.

Today there is only one working brigade that is co-trained within the Swedish army. The order from the Riksdag and Government is that there should actually be two by 2020. The brigade consists of about 4,500 soldiers who are organized in about 8 battalions. The most important resources in the mechanized brigade are 66 tanks model tanks 122, 114 fighter vehicles 90 and 12 archer cubs.

It is a conscious choice of the politicians in the defense preparation to prioritize the army during the next defense decision. According to information reported to SVT, the defense department works on the basis of increasing defense spending from today's SEK 48.5 billion a year to around SEK 70 billion per year until 2025. This would mean defense expenditure of about 1.5 per cent of GDP.

Uncertainty about resources
Karl Engelbrektsson is uncertain whether it will suffice for previously ordered submarines, upgraded JAS Gripen plan, the air defense system Patriot and such a large investment in the army.

-It is the government that decides how much resources the defense forces should have. I report to my senior manager what it costs for the army to achieve these goals and that is enough for me, ”says Karl Engelbrektson.

Army Commander acknowledges: Will miss the brigade goal
Published today 08.40
The army will fail to live up to the goal of having two functioning brigades by 2020. It acknowledges the army chief in an interview with SVT News. Analysts from Total Defense Research Institute are now warning about the situation.

According to the current defense decision, the army must be able to act with two brigades against a qualified opponent. A decision that was modified by the government to be able to "act simultaneously with two brigades with acceptable ability" by 2020. This will not the armed forces be able to live up to. It now admits the army chief in an interview.

"We have a clear plan and if it is resource-based, we can implement that goal, but it requires more time than by 2020," says Army Chief Karl Engelbrektson.

4 500 soldiers
A brigade consists of about 4,500 soldiers in, among other things, tanks and combat vehicles that are organized in a series of battalions and must have practiced together and be able to carry out virtually any assignment on land. Today there is only one brigade. The other is neither complete nor co-trained.

Robert Dalsjö is research leader at Total Defense Research Institute, FOI. He believes that this is a major problem since the external environment has deteriorated in recent years.

Poor on clarity
- The most serious shortcoming right now is that about half the organization we have on the paper is in reality. It could be remedied with more money. The next shortcoming is that the organization we have on the paper is at least half as large as we would need, says Robert Dalsjö.


One reason why the defense has received too little resources and money is that the authority itself is too poor at giving the government clear budget data. It beats the state office in a new investigation. Another reason is that politicians' decisions are not always accompanied by enough money for implementation.

So, despite financial contributions during the last term, the army chief points out that there is more money needed right now.

Money is needed
- Actually, we have clear goals and we have clear plans, but the resources are linked to what we need to have a clearer long-term perspective. Right now, the resources are not enough to reach the goals.

With resources do you mean money?

- Yes, in the end, it's about money. You need money to train and keep the staff on a high level, says Army Chief Karl Engelbrektson.