"There is far too little analysis and debate on naval security. At the same time, we've become increasingly dependent on the sea for both transportation and as a source of protein. Many political-security analyses are lacking in that they don't consider the sea. At present, more than ninety percent of the freight associated with international trade is transported by sea. As such, it is vulnerable and sensitive to disruptions. Shipping also represents a large portion of industrial inventories. That means that the Royal Swedish Navy is facing entirely new conditions," says Niklas Granholm, FOI Researcher. Niklas Granholm is the editor of a new report from FOI, which discusses global naval trends and how these affect the development of the Royal Swedish Naval Forces.
During the spring of 2009, Sweden will send three ships to the waters surrounding the Horn of Africa in order to contribute to the EU anti-piracy mission, mandated by the UN. "This is the first time in recent history that Sweden will contribute to this type of initiative, which further emphasizes just how critical this situation is," says Niklas Granholm.
Very recently, a report by the former Norwegian Foreign Minister, Thorvald Stoltenberg, was published called, "Nordic Cooperation on Foreign and Security Policy". The report recommends an expanded, different type of Nordic cooperation in order to meet future security requirements. Even if Sweden wanted to contribute to the naval cooperation suggested by Stoltenberg, the country has few possibilities of doing so at this time. "It is time to wake up and seriously discuss how and for what purpose the Royal Swedish Navy shall be used in the future," concludes Niklas Granholm.
FOI's report focuses on global naval trends, the prospects for European naval cooperation and the conceptual issues facing the Royal Swedish Navy. The report also discusses how the British Navy deals with its structural problems and provides an analysis of the problem of increasing piracy around the Horn of Africa along with suggestions on how to tackle it. Feel free to download and read the report, "Six Perspectives on Naval Strategy", under the related links at the right.
