Context:

• Sweden joins NATO after completing its accession process, ending decades of neutrality.

About NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

• Collective Security Alliance: NATO is a transatlantic security alliance composed of thirty-one member countries.
• Established in: It was established in 1949 with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty, also called as Washington Treaty.
• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.

Objectives Of NATO:  

• Cooperation: To provide a unique link between these transatlantic countries, enabling them to consult and cooperate on political and military issues.
• Limiting threat: To counter the threat of the erstwhile Soviet Union’s possible expansion attempts in Europe.

Underlying Principle: 

• Principle of collective defence: NATO is committed to the principle that an attack against one or several of its members is considered an attack against all.
  • Article 5 of the Washington Treaty states that an attack against one Ally is an attack against all. This article forms the core of the Alliance, a promise of collective defense.
• Membership criteria: NATO membership is open to “any other European state in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area.”

Sweden Joins NATO: Benefits of Integrating Sweden into the Alliance

• Efficient Military Force and Technology: 

  • Sweden has maintained highly capable military forces with a good deal of cutting-edge technology
    • For Example: Sweden has Gripen fighter aircraft equipped with Meteor air-to-air missiles, Leopard 2 main battle tanks and Gotland-class attack submarines powered by an air-independent propulsion system. 

• Geopolitically Significant: 

  • Sweden’s geographical position makes it an essential part of any NATO defense plans.
    • Its location means it can serve as a land transit route to reinforce both Norway and Finland, while also allowing NATO to largely take control of the Baltic Sea in any potential conflict with Russia.

• Access to Alternative Route: 

  • This provides an alternative sea reinforcement option to the Baltic states other than the vulnerable land border between Poland and Lithuania which is within artillery range of the Russian-held Kaliningrad area and Belarus. 

• Deterring Russia: 

• • Sweden brings with it a considerable amount of experience and understanding of how to counter the Russian desire to have complete control over its neighbors. 

News Source: The Hindu