Military Contribution

The Partnership for Peace (PfP) is a cooperation programme between individual countries and NATO. Sweden is a PfP country, not a NATO member, but still rather heavily involved in Afghanistan compared to other countries in the same programme. As of late 2008, 375 Swedish men and women serve in Afghanistan, this constitutes more than a third of the total number of Swedish soldiers deployed internationally. Sweden has contributed with a military presence in the country since 2001/2002, first with an intelligence unit and later with a civil military (CIMIC) mission. The CIMIC mission was terminated in 2004.

Since the overtaking of the ISAF operation in 2003 by NATO and the consecutive establishment of Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT), Sweden has contributed with personnel to these and has since March 2006 been in charge of PRT Mazar e-Sharif. This Swedish led PRT covers the four provinces Balkh, Samangan, Jowzjan and Sar e-Pul, and includes Finnish personnel as well as Swedish. The PRT has Swedish Military Observations Teams and units for service in guarding and safe escort.

Sweden also has men and women stationed at the Provincial Office in Mazar e-Sharif and the local military airport, Camp Marmal. Camp Mike Spann, situated 12 kilometres south of Mazar e-Sharif, hosts a group of Swedish officers and soldiers functioning in Operation Monitoring and Liaison Teams (OMLTs), units that train and monitor the Afghan National Army on corps and brigade level. Lastly, there are Swedish soldiers and officers stationed in Kabul. Some serve in the ISAF Head Quarters, others are part of a National Intelligence Cell (NIC) that supports ISAF on national level with intelligence.

The Government has proposed that the Riksdag gives its approval to Sweden's making available an armed force of a maximum of 855 persons for participation in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) until 31 December 2009.

               Photo: NRK

Read more about Sweden's cooperation with NATO in EAPC/PfP:
http://www.regeringen.se/sb/d/574/a/98253