Who against whom?

Swedish Alarm After Defence Chiefs’ War Warning
BBC News.com | January 10, 2024 | Paul Kirby

Civil Defence Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin told a defence conference “there could be war in Sweden”.

His message was then backed up by military commander-in-chief Gen Micael Byden, . . .

Well, trust someone with that last name to screw things up.

. . . who said all Swedes should prepare mentally for the possibility.

However, opposition politicians have objected to the tone of the warnings.

Ex-prime minister Magdalena Andersson told Swedish TV that while the security situation was serious, “it is not as if war is just outside the door.”

Children’s rights organisation Bris . . .

Heh

. . . said that its national helpline did not usually receive calls about the possibility of war. But this week, it had seen an increase in worried calls from youngsters who had seen news reports or posts on TikTok talking about it.

“This was well prepared, it wasn’t something blurted out,” Bris spokeswoman Maja Dahl told the BBC. “They should have provided information meant for kids when they come out with this kind of information for grown-ups.”

Yes, but how do you address Greta?

Despite the starkness of the messaging, the remarks from the civil defence minister and military chief are being seen as a wake-up call.

After more than two centuries of peace, Sweden is a few steps from joining the Nato defensive alliance, waiting for a green light from Turkey’s parliament and then from Hungary.

The commander-in-chief said his remarks were nothing new.

He visited Ukraine’s eastern front a month ago and Sweden is one of a group of countries training Ukrainian pilots. Stockholm is also said to be considering sending advanced Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine.

“My ambition with this is not to worry people; my ambition is to get more people to think about their own situation and their own responsibilities,” Gen Byden later told Aftonbladet newspaper.

More tests are needed in the Bikini Atoll.