Sweden Reveals First Military Step if It Joins NATO

Swedish Defense Minister Paul Johnson stated that if his country joins the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), it intends to send troops to Eastern Europe to join the alliance's rapid response forces. He told "Russia Today" that "NATO membership is a top priority" for the new government formed after the parliamentary elections in September. He emphasized that NATO's principle of collective defense, which involves responding to any attack on member countries, is "extremely necessary" as a deterrent factor. Speaking about the increase in defense spending, Johnson noted that Sweden plans to achieve NATO's goal of raising defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2026, two years ahead of schedule, pointing out that this figure currently stands at only 1.3% of GDP.