Personal questions

Per Söderlund (SD)

Madam Speaker! Let me begin by moving to approve the committee's proposal for a decision.

The Armed Forces are in a historically strong growth phase and have been for some time. Much has happened in just the time that has passed since we debated the personnel supply here in the chamber a year ago. The conscription volumes are increasing slightly more than planned, which is very pleasing. The number of those who complete the officer training is also increasing, which is a prerequisite for the defense's growth. This is occurring, however, after a long period of decommissioning of Swedish defense capability, and it naturally affects the development.

With the decided growth, the number of conscripts increases and thus also the needs for equipment procurement. It can be easy to fixate on the need for submarines, combat aircraft, combat vehicles, transport planes, cars, ammunition, personal protective equipment and so on. It is in many cases painfully expensive equipment that the authority is in need of. The Riksdag also injects a lot of money so that the buildup of the defense becomes a reality.

But without personnel, the equipment is not worth much. If too little money is invested in the personnel, the value of the equipment decreases, and vice versa. Despite great commitment, increased conscription volumes, and more civilian employees, there is still much that needs to be done to ensure that the Armed Forces' personnel are given the right conditions to carry out their tasks.

Fundamentally, we need to change the view of the Swedish Armed Forces' employees and realize that it is not ordinary work they perform. They must, with their own lives at stake, defend our allies, our country, our democracy, and our population if the worst imaginable should occur. In some cases, we need to provide these heroes with conditions that other professional groups do not have. Both the Swedish Armed Forces and we politicians should therefore consider alternative benefits to retain competent personnel and raise the status of the profession. Examples of such benefits could be a lower retirement age, tax-free service housing, and more support for relocation in the case of long-term commuting or overseas service.

Madam Speaker! Civil society also needs to understand how important the Swedish Armed Forces' work is. Unfortunately, much of that understanding has been lost during the time when a large part of our total defense was phased out and the volumes of conscription were low. Previously, everyone who had done their national service had an understanding that the military and civil sectors are largely interconnected in the total defense. Even municipalities, county councils – as they were called at that time – county administrative boards and authorities had a greater understanding of the importance of the total defense and the importance of the entire society having preparedness for crisis or war.

Civil knowledge was often useful in the event of war, and conversely, military knowledge was often an asset in civilian professional life or in the event of societal crises. Today, much of that knowledge is lacking.

One hears young people who do not want to participate in the defense of our country because they do not want to defend the government that currently rules the country. Those who hold such views must understand that it is our constitutional system and our freedom to decide over our present and future that is to be defended, including the freedom to choose political representatives. The alternative should be unthinkable for everyone, regardless of what political opinion one holds. It will take time to get all Swedes to understand this. But if there is one thing we know, it is that external threats have always united our people.

Madam Speaker! There are those who are very well aware of what I have just spoken about, and those are the ones who are part of our voluntary organizations. They are extremely important for both public support and the will to defend, but also for the defense capability and the civil preparedness. They constitute both a recruitment base and a platform for personal competence development within a number of special areas that are of great importance for the total defense's competence supply.

The voluntary organizations should therefore have continued close cooperation with and support from the Armed Forces, and it is important that the funds that the Armed Forces are permitted to utilize for voluntary activities are also fully utilized. It is also important that the government continues to take the voluntary organizations into account in its work.

Madam Speaker! Our veterans and their relatives deserve our unconditional gratitude for their contribution. With great courage and great personal sacrifice, they have made invaluable contributions to peace and democracy in Sweden and abroad. Some of them have returned from overseas service with scars for life. Some have visible scars, others have invisible ones. But they all have in common that the price they have paid to safeguard peace in various hotspots is many times much higher than what those who have never been involved can ever imagine. They deserve relevant support regardless of where in the country they live.

Unfortunately, healthcare in most regions lacks knowledge about the unique needs these individuals have. Veteran healthcare needs to be expanded, and I hope that more regions develop that competence so that our heroes can receive the help they need.

Madam Speaker! In a little more than a month, Veterans Day falls. It is on May 29, to be exact. It is the day when we honor our veterans and honor the memory of those who paid the highest price in the work for peace and freedom in various crisis areas around the world. Since 2008, we have observed Sweden's Veterans Day on May 29, and since 2012, the day has official status as a state ceremony.

Since 2018, May 29 has also been a general flag day. It is welcome, and it is the least we can do to honor our heroes, even though they deserve to be honored every day.

We would like to see that expanded long-term support for the veterans' associations is investigated. It would guarantee additional support to those who need it and who in the highest degree deserve our gratitude.

In this speech, Matheus Enholm (SD) agreed.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Johan Andersson (S)

Madam Speaker! Today we shall debate and make decisions on the supply of competence in the total defense and the rescue services, on equality and inclusion, on veterans, on defense music, as well as on voluntary defense organizations. These are issues that truly affect both the civilian and the military parts of society.

A total of 98 motions within the area have been submitted during the general motion period. These include both individual motions, committee motions, and party motions. We Social Democrats, of course, stand behind all our motions, but for the sake of time, I move for the approval of only reservations 3, 14, and 22.

We propose that the number of conscripts in 2030 should amount to 12,000 annually, but that it should be stated in the long term that the goal should be 20,000 annually. In order to reach this, we have a good deal of work left to do.

When the numbers are expanded – this applies to both the number of conscripts and the number of employees – it is incredibly important that the whistleblower function within the defense is expanded. There, conscripts and employees are given the opportunity to report irregularities during their time in the defense, especially within the conscription part.

Equality and inclusion is another important area that needs to be ensured to be strengthened. We propose that the Armed Forces shall actively work with equality and inclusion in order to strive towards a more diversified personnel composition. A clear goal is that at least 40 percent of the employees in the Armed Forces shall be women. There we have a good bit left to work on. Therefore, it is important, which we emphasize in our motion, that greater efforts are directed specifically towards that group.

Better conditions must be provided to combine a career within the Armed Forces with family life. The Armed Forces must, of course, be an organization free from all forms of discrimination – including harassment, not least of a sexual nature.

It is also very much about meeting the equipment needs of all genders. Today we are receiving signals that it is not working. Even though a lot has happened recently, it is important that work continues with that part.

I also intend to develop something regarding the area of skills supply within the rescue services. It is also an important mission for the Committee on Defence to handle. An important lesson from the war in Ukraine is that a well-developed rescue service is vital. We note that the need to train and recruit part-time firefighters throughout our elongated country is great. We point this out in our reservation, and we give highest priority to those actors who operate within the area.

Finally, I would like to take the opportunity to highlight the trade union Kommunals' report on the need for educational initiatives for full-time firefighters and a review of the training for these. We had a well-attended seminar in the Riksdag a month ago. Various actors participated there – and many members were present – in order to shed light on this part. It is now important that MCF takes the issue further.

With those words, Madam Speaker, I move for the approval of our reservations.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Gustaf Göthberg (M)

Madam Speaker! In the Defense Committee's work, many of our questions concern materiel, frigates, large appropriations for purchases, aircraft and drones. But in reality, everything in the defense of Sweden begins with the individual human being – with the conscript who may soon be deployed to Amf 4 at home in Gothenburg and who has their life's adventure ahead of them while simultaneously making a strong, great and important contribution to the defense of Sweden and our allies. It is about officers who train the next generation of soldiers, about soldiers who choose to remain in service, about the special operations officer who sees what no one else sees, and about the home guard member who is constantly ready to defend Sweden.

Personal matters are among the most important we have to handle. When it comes to this report, like many other reports that the Committee on Defence has to handle and that the Chamber is to vote on, we are for the most part essentially in agreement. That we have a consensus in Swedish defense policy is a strength for Sweden.

When it comes to the staffing of the Armed Forces – and the personnel issues and personnel policy – this is not something that can be changed overnight. It takes time to train officers. They don't just grow on trees. They must be trained and gain experience. All of this is the focus of the personnel policy.

Building up functioning educational chains takes time. Creating an organization where people can be recruited and where they choose to stay requires perseverance, structure, and accountability over several parliamentary terms. Therefore, work is now being done methodically on personnel issues, Madam Speaker. That has been done for a long time. There is, as said, a fairly broad consensus.

The government has implemented increased compensation for our conscripts, officer candidates, and home guard soldiers. We are expanding the Armed Forces in close coordination with its actual training and absorption capacity. As defense politicians, one cannot simply stand and point and say what one wants without understanding that there is an organization that must be able to handle it and utilize the competence that already exists within the organization.

Madam Speaker! There is reason to remind [the House] of precisely the importance of having long-term perspective in the defense's personnel policy, not least for the employees and conscripts in our total defense. Therefore, it is absolutely essential to continue improving the conditions for those who serve, to continue strengthening recruitment, to continue ensuring that the Swedish Defence Readyness Administration's information efforts to high school students in the country are strong, to continue developing the officer training, and to continue protecting our veterans, as we heard earlier, whom we particularly commemorate on May 29 – Sweden's Veterans Day.

In a time when the threats against Sweden are increasing, we cannot afford symbolic politics. I also do not see much symbolic politics in this report. It is eight parties that take responsibility jointly for our defense and our defense policy. It is a strength for Sweden.

Today, on Uniform at Work Day, I want to complain that I never had the opportunity to perform military service and therefore cannot have a uniform other than the Member of Parliament's, which I am now wearing. I also want to appeal to you who are watching this debate, who are following this, and who may see a uniform in the breakroom during the afternoon or on the tram on the way home, to direct a thought of gratitude to the men and women who have served in uniform – all to make our country safer and more secure.

I particularly want to highlight our extremely important voluntary defense organizations. It is about elevating them and remembering what fantastic work they perform and carry out throughout all of Sweden. I also want to direct an appeal and an urge to Sweden's 290 municipalities. Consider which voluntary defense organizations exist right in your municipality! And consider how the municipality, the region, or the state agency that you may be active in can make use of a voluntary defense organization specifically to become better at absorbing and utilizing the will for defense!

It is together – human to human – that we build the will to defend and the defense capability. The personnel policy in the defense is a sign of that.

Last but not least, I want to say a big thank you to you who serve in uniform, to you who serve in the Armed Forces as a civilian, to you who are conscripted, and to you who do your part for Sweden.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Hanna Gunnarsson (V)

Madam Speaker! Honored committee colleagues! Hello to all of you who are listening and watching – at home or wherever you may be!

Today we are debating a large number of motions that are handled in the Committee on Defence and which concern the Swedish Armed Forces' personnel, regarding recruitment and how we should provide the personnel with the best possible conditions and opportunities to work within the Swedish Armed Forces.

This is perhaps one of our most important annual debates.

I want to begin by moving for approval of reservations number 1 and 11, so I have done so.

We live in a very serious security situation. I believe everyone is aware of that now. There is war in Europe. Russia has invaded Ukraine. The serious global situation naturally puts our own total defense to the test and requires that we make investments to make society more robust.

Those who are to do this are the personnel – both the military personnel and the personnel in the entire civil defense.

The Swedish Armed Forces' operations involve – just like the rescue services, the police and other similar operations – great risks and high demands, and it is ongoing around the clock.

In recent years, we have seen several major crises. One of the lessons we take with us is the importance of well-educated staff, good working conditions, the right tools and equipment, and that there is a great commitment among ordinary people if a crisis arises.

People who are engaged in the Armed Forces, the Home Guard, voluntary defense organizations, the municipalities' voluntary resource groups, the Red Cross, and many other organizations make enormous efforts in times of crisis. The tasks are seemingly endless and many times very difficult and need to be performed at inconvenient times, in places far away, and sometimes with far too few resources.

Working with the military defense's sharp tasks is not an easy job. We are immensely grateful to all who choose to work there and within other vulnerable professions. The most difficult tasks are probably those performed abroad. I want to convey a particularly big thank you to all who have headed off on large, acute missions such as earthquakes and evacuations and all who are abroad on other missions. A big thank you for your efforts!

Madam Speaker! An important prerequisite for the Swedish Armed Forces' personnel supply is conscription. All young people who turn 18 are drafted and tested for conscription. Vänsterpartiet thinks that this is very good. Conscription guarantees a public anchoring of the defense's activities and that as many people as possible with different backgrounds and experiences participate in the defense of Sweden and thereby gain important knowledge about how our country can be made safer and more secure for everyone.

In order for the conscripts to receive the best possible education and for their lives in other respects to be as good as possible, it is important that there is a functioning conscript council. The conscript council is a co-determination body elected by the conscripts and has the task of safeguarding the conscripts' interests and quite often engaging in dialogue about changes, among other things, with us politicians. The conscript council also proposes various types of improvements and reviews the work being done as well as the conscripts' conditions. It is a very important contribution to the public support for conscription and the total defense and a way for society to guarantee that the education we have decided shall be mandatory for those who are conscripted becomes as good as possible.

A major issue for those in military service over the last few years has been the increase and indexing of the daily allowance for those in military service. The government has made an increase, and they should be credited for that, but not to the level that the personnel investigation conducted last year proposed, nor according to the levels that the Conscription Council has wanted to see.

It is very important, not only in times of inflation and increased prices for food and rents, that the compensations keep pace. Ensuring that the compensation one receives is actually reasonable is also a signal of how important the conscription training is. I therefore move for the approval of reservation 1.

Next week, this year's conscription congress will be held. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the conscription council that has worked during the year and which has been very active, capable, and sensible in its work. We welcome the conscription council that will be elected next week and look forward to meeting you!

Another important group within the Armed Forces' personnel are the reserve officers. A few years ago, a unanimous Riksdag made an announcement that the government shall ensure that there is a right to leave of absence for reserve officers to serve within the Armed Forces. This was intended to make it easier for them to participate in the activities while they have a civilian profession. I still expect the government to return to this issue as soon as possible.

Madam Speaker! Vänsterpartiet is a feminist party, and in a feminist defense and security policy, the question of public anchoring and participation for all is very important. Since the conscription was restarted, it is also gender-neutral. Women's participation in defense and security work at home and internationally is crucial for the entire society to be able to withstand crises, acute events, and in the worst case, war.

There is still a great deal to be done regarding equality, but I also want to say that the Armed Forces have a very active work in improving equality within the organization. In outward-facing communication, women are highlighted. Progress is being made regarding equipment, and equality issues are taken very seriously. It is important that the Armed Forces continue to strengthen this work and spread it to the allies that we now have as NATO members.

Overall, making the Armed Forces and defense activities more visible and understandable to the public is also a way to increase the understanding of what a modern defense force actually is. Thereby, the motivation to participate increases, and with it, equality in the organization also increases. In this way, the entire total defense becomes more equal and more diverse. The Armed Forces must, however, solve the issue of sensible underwear for women.

Madam Speaker! The need to recruit and retain personnel within the Armed Forces is still central and very important. The most important factors for getting employees to stay at their workplaces are, of course, salary, working conditions, and the work environment. It is important to ensure that one has the resources at one's disposal to be able to do a good job.

Wages are, of course, a matter for the parties in the labor market, but it is important to continue to review the wages in the Armed Forces. Many occupational groups, especially on the civilian side, have a different labor market outside the state sphere that actually offers higher wages.

When it comes to having the right tools and equipment to do a good job, there is some work to be done within the Armed Forces. Personal equipment is still lacking, even though it is getting better. It is about completely ordinary things that are needed to make the workday and the working conditions good within the Armed Forces. Everyone must have the equipment and the things they need. It is ultimately a question of safety in a very exposed and dangerous profession. It is positive that measures have been taken to inventory, stock, and order more personal equipment.

I want to place some extra focus on the so-called twelve-year limit for soldiers, which we have talked about many times here in the chamber. A soldier who does not further train to become an officer has, according to law, a limited employment period of a number of years. After that, one is not allowed to remain employed. As you understand, this does not align at all with how the rest of the Swedish labor market looks. All employments on the Swedish labor market shall, as a rule, be until further notice unless there are special reasons. It is crazy that we have this type of time limit for employment during the build-up of the Armed Forces when we need more personnel and also need to get the personnel to stay. Soldiers who have an education and experience in their profession should not have to quit; instead, they should be able to stay.

This needs to be resolved. If the law cannot be abolished in its entirety, we need to review it so that individual assessments can be made. I look forward to us getting this matter to the chamber of the Riksdag. For that reason, I move for approval of reservation 11 under point 4.

Madam Speaker! The third leg of the personnel supply for the total defense is the Home Guard and the voluntary defense organizations. There, large groups of people are organized in different ways to contribute to the total defense and crisis preparedness in peacetime. It is of the utmost importance that the voluntary defense organizations are given resources and opportunities to carry out their training and exercises and that stable agreements are also signed with civil authorities and municipalities. Everyone is needed in the total defense, regardless of background, profession, and skills.

Finally, Madam Speaker, I want to bring up what we usually talk about in Vänsterpartiet regarding this committee report concerning personnel issues: to remove the system where the Armed Forces provide the court with adjutants.

Adjutants are highly educated officers with extensive experience who are lent out to help the King and the Crown Princess with all sorts of tasks during the day, for one month a year on a rolling schedule. These are, therefore, officers who we could have used in the reconstruction and build-up of the Swedish defense but who instead are tasked with helping the King and the Crown Princess. We believe these adjutants should be replaced with civilian personnel.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mikael Oscarsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Today we are debating the Committee on Defence's report number 8, which concerns personnel issues.

So, it is about personnel and competence supply, the total defense, the rescue services, equality, veterans, and voluntary defense organizations.

This debate is held in a heightened security policy situation. The war in Ukraine is now entering its fifth year, and it also highlights our own vulnerable position. The security policy situation is the worst we have had since the Second World War. It is important that we continue to make real upgrades. Sweden is a member of Nato, and we are investing in rearming. But we must continue!

Of course, equipment is important, as has been pointed out previously. But the most important thing we have are our employees, our soldiers, conscripts and volunteers – all those who are on duty. We also have officers, who day in and day out defend our country.

It is also about our veterans, the approximately 100,000 who have served all around the world. I also had a visit from a number of veterans from Uppsala län as recently as yesterday. They are a great asset, and they have made important contributions for Sweden in peacekeeping missions around our world.

Conscripts continue to be the basis for the Armed Forces' personnel supply. It is pleasing that 8,136 people began the basic training for 2025 and that the goal of 8,000 people was successfully achieved. We are therefore well on our way to reaching the goal of 10,000 by 2030. But we cannot stop here; it is important that we also reach 12,000 by 2032 at the latest.

From the Kristdemokraterna's side, we envision that Sweden should have four brigades by 2030, but that there also need to be more. In the long run, we need to have an additional two brigades so that we could eventually have two divisions. One would have its main task in northern Sweden and help in Finland, and the other would operate in southern Sweden and also be able to be at hand in the Baltics. This is very important.

We are on the right track, and we are making major upgrades. But it must continue. Our own security service has warned that in the event of a ceasefire, there will be 800,000 Russian soldiers in Ukraine. There is a large risk that they will then end up near Sweden and near the Baltics and Finland. Russia could have the capacity for a regional war within two years after a ceasefire. This is important.

Materiel is important, but it is also important to fulfill commitments to train, for example as was now done in Finland together with others. It is not the hot air and the beautiful words that will help. It is instead the joint military capability with our personnel together with our neighboring countries that shows that it is no idea to even think about undertaking either Sweden or any of our neighboring countries.

The Armed Forces shall be an equal and egalitarian organization. It is also important to continue with sustainable personnel supply and to increase the number of women. We welcome what is being done. But another important point pointed out here is something as simple as the fact that there are underwear and that equipment and clothing are adapted for women. It is something that has been said to have been in place for a long time. But we still receive reports that this is not sufficient. This must be corrected. It is a matter of course if we are to have women who want to serve in our Armed Forces.

The voluntary defense organizations fulfill a very important function in the anchoring of our defense, for recruitment, and for our collective capability. It is about the popular anchoring.

Therefore, we in the Christian Democrats note with satisfaction that the government added an additional 45 million kronor to these organizations in January. They need funds to be able to carry out their tasks, and therefore this supplement is important.

As was said before, we soon have Veterans Day, the 29th of May. This is very important. Then thousands of people gather all over the country. We are definitely better today than we have been historically in taking care of our veterans, but this is also still important. We are so grateful. To those who may be listening to this debate, I want to say: Thank you for the contribution you have made! We value it. It is important for us to acknowledge that contribution every day, but not least on the 29th of May.

With those words, Madam Speaker, I move for the proposal in the report to be approved in its entirety and for all reservations to be rejected.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Mikael Larsson (C)

Madam Speaker! The build-up of a strong Swedish total defense is in full swing and has been so for about ten years now.

One of the absolutely most important pillars is the personnel supply in the entire total defense, in the Armed Forces, within civil defense, and in the voluntary defense organizations. In my speech, I will of course focus on all parts within the Armed Forces and within the civil parts, rescue services, civil defense, and much more.

Madam Speaker! I want to start by saying that an enormous amount of good work is being done within the Armed Forces precisely to strengthen the personnel's conditions to further develop themselves, stay, and receive increased status.

Personnel recruitment within the Armed Forces is one of perhaps the greatest challenges ahead, as the defense grows, combat readiness is to be increased, and the state of readiness is to become even better. We will have more officers who are to serve in Sweden, and we will train more conscripts, but we will also go out and man NATO headquarters around the world. This places higher demands on even more personnel who want to serve and work within the Armed Forces.

Centerpartiets assessment is that, among other things, expanded opportunities for a higher retirement age, the right to leave of absence for reserve officers and better conditions for officer candidates can be appropriate measures.

We know, as other speakers have also expressed, that the wage setting is, of course, negotiated by the parties. And that is how it should be. But the Center Party also wants to emphasize that it is important that the Armed Forces can offer good conditions and good incentives for the personnel who are interested in seeking employment at the agency and perhaps stay for a few more years or return to service after having served in another part. It is important moving forward to be an attractive and modern employer. It is also important that one can offer attractive employment.

Furthermore, it is important that we achieve a more equal defense force. An important measure that can contribute to this is that the defense command regularly follows up and evaluates the units' work on equality and equal treatment. Additionally, the Armed Forces must ensure that female soldiers can carry out exercises and combat with equipment and protection that do not hinder movement or limit, for example, their way of developing and their ability to fight.

Madam Speaker! The Centre Party considers that the formal co-influence for conscripts needs to be reviewed and become even better so that they can stand completely independent from the Armed Forces. Every unit should have a co-influence officer who becomes a link between the conscripts and the unit commander. The Centre Party considers that the co-influence for those subject to total defense duty should be improved and that the position of the Duty Council should be elevated.

To be called up by obligation is a major intervention in the individual's, the person's, life. Therefore, it is of particular importance that the conditions for those performing military service are not substandard. The Center Party therefore considers that the compensation for those subject to total defense duty should be index-regulated to follow the society's price developments, in the same way as other things are adjusted in society. We also consider that the subsistence allowance for those performing military service should cover the costs it is intended to cover through, for example, an index regulation.

I want to emphasize that what the government has done regarding the increases in the daily allowance is positive. From the Center Party's side, however, we believe that more must be done in this area.

Madam Speaker! The voluntary defense organizations operating across the entire country have an important role both in peacetime crisis preparedness and in civil defense. Both from a public anchoring perspective and from a recruitment perspective, it is important that the voluntary defense organizations are spread throughout the entire country. We have an important role in supporting and helping the voluntary defense organizations and improving their opportunities for development.

The activities of the voluntary defense organizations cover many different and important areas. Volunteerism will play a larger role as civil defense continues to be expanded around the country, not least in connection with civil protection. In order for society to get as much as possible out of volunteerism, it is important that responsible actors plan to utilize volunteers during, for example, crisis management and exercises. The organizations need to be involved in planning, training, and exercises in a more systematic way. It is also necessary to work towards agreements being written with all voluntary defense organizations.

Mr. Speaker! That the civil duty is reactivated is something that the Center Party thinks is very good. Something else that is pleasing is the training provided within the civil duty and the municipal rescue services. The training takes place at the Swedish Civil Defence Authority's training sites. It is also pleasing that MCF uses the municipal rescue services' training sites to provide training within the civil duty all over the country. Being able to be trained near the area where one is to serve and knowing the local community is crucial for resilience and the will to defend.

Mr. Speaker! Later during this parliamentary session, there will be both a government bill regarding personnel supply within the military defense and a bill linked to the civil defense. These bills are important, and we in the Center Party will, of course, examine them carefully. It is necessary with continued reinforcements of the personnel supply within the entire total defense.

Mr. Speaker! Much is being done to strengthen the personnel's conditions to operate within the entire total defense. I hope that even more things have been done when we stand here next year and debate the personnel supply within the total defense. I hope that the low-hanging fruits are such things that we can implement and that what needs to be done in the longer term has been started. The personnel are truly the foundation for us to succeed with the construction of the total defense.

In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, I would like to move for approval of the Center Party's reservation 8.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ulf Holm (MP)

Mr. Speaker! The security situation is probably among the most serious we have experienced in a very long time. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has now lasted for over four years, and at the current moment, there is nothing to indicate that Russia wants anything other than to annex all of Ukraine. This must not happen. At the same time, many other conflicts are ongoing, such as Israel's annexation of all of Gaza and, most recently, the USA's and Israel's war against Iran. The situation is, to say the least, serious and uncertain.

Against this background, it is not strange that we in Sweden must upgrade our total defense. This is being done in political agreement between all parliamentary parties. This is very good.

Mr. Speaker! In many operations, the staff is absolutely crucial for the operation, and that is also the case within the total defense. There are very many different occupational categories involved, and they have very different conditions and requirements. It is everything from officers and group commanders to administrative staff. Everyone is needed so that we can have a strong total defense. Therefore, it is important that we give them the right conditions and support so that they want to take a job within the Armed Forces and so that they want to continue.

Salaries are obviously important, and they are set by the parties in the labor market. But even in other areas, there is great room for improvement to make the defense an attractive workplace. It is about compensation levels and also about ensuring good conditions in other respects. It is also about high safety at work and the opportunity for competence development in the service. Knowledge of the work to prevent, detect, and manage mental ill-health is another important aspect of an employer's ability to create a safe working environment and attract and retain staff. This knowledge needs to increase at all levels within the Armed Forces.

Mr. Speaker! Last year, the government received two inquiries regarding the total defense's personnel supply: one inquiry on the military defense's personnel supply and *Plikten kallar!*, which concerns a modern personnel supply of the civil defense. They are solid inquiries that target many of the issues being discussed here in the chamber today, including the question of compensation for those subject to total defense duty.

Now the government has said that proposals based on the investigations will arrive this month or next. We are really looking forward to this. This means that today I will only provide a summary of the Green Party's views. We will have to return with more concrete details when the Riksdag treats the government's proposals later during this parliamentary session.

Mr. Speaker! An important question is, of course, how the Armed Forces can become better at equality and inclusion to increase the number of women at all levels within the organization. The defense of Sweden is a matter for the entire country, and the competence of the entire population must be able to be utilized. It must be possible to combine a career within the Armed Forces with family life; this applies, of course, to both men and women.

Another important issue is how the Armed Forces ensure that female soldiers can carry out exercises and combat with equipment and protection that fits them specifically. Is it not very strange that the Armed Forces still – in the year 2026 – have not resolved this, given how long this issue has been discussed? Certainly, work is underway to ensure the availability of equipment, but obviously this work needs to be accelerated further.

Mr. Speaker! In the historical upgrading that is now taking place, more shall be enticed to work within the defense. More shall also be called to conscription. Miljöpartiet wants that the recruitment to the defense shall, as far as possible, be based on voluntarism. At the same time, we know that conscription was needed. It is a strong and necessary instrument to get people to work for the defense.

In order for us to get the best and most motivated recruits possible, both the basic training and the working conditions for employees within the Armed Forces need to be attractive. Right now, the conscription is being expanded, and more people will be drafted and undergo basic military training. Miljöpartiet believes that the work to increase the proportion of female conscripts should be increased and that the goal should be for it to be at least 40 percent by the year 2030. It may sound like an ambitious goal, but I am convinced that it is both reasonable and feasible.

Mr. Speaker! The daily allowance for those subject to total defense duty needs to be index-regulated to follow the society's price developments. Also, the regulatory framework for daily allowance and the right to housing allowance would need to be further modernized. During the training to officer and other trainings within the total defense, there are special rules for, among other things, housing allowance and daily allowance. These appear to be very low at the current time, and they should obviously be adjusted.

Mr. Speaker! Miljöpartiet welcomes the activation of civil service and proposes that further expansion be investigated. This could involve volunteers who, after training, could provide reinforcement during various types of crises, for example, natural disasters such as forest fires, events linked to the effects of climate change, or an extensive crisis in health and social care. In addition to civil service strengthening Sweden's civil defense, it will contribute to society's resilience and crisis preparedness as well as constitute an important part in creating greater interpersonal and societal trust.

Mr. Speaker! Voluntary defense organizations and voluntary resource groups play an important role in the work of strengthening society's crisis preparedness and civil defense. In order for more people to be able to contribute to the total defense, civilians need to be given better conditions to participate in education and training activities within the voluntary defense organizations. It is also important that there are voluntary resource groups in every municipality to strengthen local preparedness. Nature-based outdoor life and civil society possess competence and knowledge that can contribute to strengthening preparedness for crises and, ultimately, war.

The outdoor movement organizes many people and has a strong local presence throughout the country. The outdoor movement should therefore be more clearly linked to civil defense and total defense planning.

Mr. Speaker! The rescue services have a central role in society's crisis preparedness and in civil defense. In order to strengthen this activity, the conditions for working within the rescue services need to be improved, even for those who serve part-time or engage voluntarily. There is also a need to clarify the roles between different voluntary defense organizations so that their competence and resources can be better utilized during high alert.

Miljöpartiet therefore wants the rescue services to be strengthened and for the conditions for working in the rescue services and in voluntary activities, even on a part-time basis, to be improved. We also want the Swedish Defence Preparedness Agency to be tasked with clarifying the cooperation between the rescue services and various voluntary actors. It is truly needed.

Mr. Speaker! I naturally stand behind all of the Miljöpartiet's reservations but move for time-saving approval only of reservation 14, which we have together with S, C and V regarding equality and inclusion.

(Applause)

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(Decisions were made under § 13.)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)