Sweden applied for NATO membership following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. As a NATO Invitee, Sweden is cooperating with NATO more closely than ever and its security has been strengthened.

Sweden is participating in NATO military and civilian activities and in the NATO defence planning process. It is sitting at the NATO table and is integrated into NATO structures. NATO has also increased its presence and exercises in the region.

Recently, soldiers from various NATO Allies including Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States trained side by side with Swedish forces. They took part in Sweden’s largest defence exercise in over 30 years, Aurora 23, as part of further increased cooperation on the Alliance’s collective deterrence and defence.

The exercise’s main goal was to demonstrate Sweden’s ability to defend itself in case it was ever to come under attack.

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