History UsefulNotes / SwedesWithCoolPlanes

Interestingly Sweden was once one of the greatest military powers in Europe and it had armies led by [[WarriorPrince Warrior Princes]] like Gustavus Adolphus and [[UsefulNotes/CarolusRex Charles XII]]. Its domination of the iron cannon industry in the 17th century arguably helped. Also note that in spite of a 200-year old policy of neutrality (now arguably abolished in practice through the Lisbon Treaty, among other things) Sweden has been very active in peacekeeping operations throughout the latter part of the 20th century. Notable contributions include The Congo Crisis in the 60's, Kosovo 90's to present, Sudan/Chad in the early 00's and Afghanistan and anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden today. [[note]]In the case of the Congo Crisis, and Afghanistan, it should be noted that the Swedish Military is/was practically not involved in "peacekeeping" but [[AttackAttackAttack "peacemaking",]] which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. Swedish troops in Afghanistan served (Swedens official commitment to Afghanistan ended in 2014) under the banner of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Security_Assistance_Force ISAF]] who were authorized by the UsefulNotes/UnitedNations but not lead by them. ISAF's main job was "security missions" and not peacekeeping. [[/note]]

Unlike Norway, Denmark, and Finland, Sweden is not a member of UsefulNotes/{{NATO}}. She does however have a ''Memorandum of Understanding'' with NATO, which in practice means that Sweden [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute allows NATO to use her territory for military exercises, mobilization and even the use of Swedish military personnel in various hotspots around the world.]] (See the note under the blurb about peacekeeping, above.)
Whether or not Sweden should join UsefulNotes/{{NATO}} properly, is currently undergoing heated debate. Many people see it as inevitable (feeling that Sweden isn't far removed from being a member already so they might as well get the benefit of Article 5), while others stress the need to avoid pissing off UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} too badly (and arguing that if attacked, NATO would likely come to their aid even as a non-member).

Until recently, Sweden relied on conscription of men, due to the need to be able to put together an Army that could hold its own against the USSR, should the UsefulNotes/ColdWar go hot. Women have been able to volunteer since 1980. In 2010, conscription was abolished, due to changes in international politics, and an increasing focus on peacekeeping operations, as opposed to homeland defence. Then in 2017 it was reintroduced, with the first conscripts recruited in 2018, amid fears about Russia. This time, both men and women can be called on to serve.

Sweden avoided both [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarOne World]] [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo Wars]], mainly due to subservience and sheer dumb luck. (Although being one of Germany's largest suppliers of iron ore certainly didn't hurt.) Considering the crappy state of the Swedish military at the time, this was probably not a bad idea. To give you some idea of the state of Swedish preparations for UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, men who owned hunting rifles were advised to bring them and ammunition, since they were guaranteed to be better than the standard Army issue rifles.

Unlike Norway and Denmark, and Finland, Sweden is not a member of UsefulNotes/{{NATO}}. She does however have a ''Memorandum of Understanding'' with NATO, which in practice means that Sweden [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute allows NATO to use her territory for military exercises, mobilization and even the use of Swedish military personnel in various hotspots around the world.]] (See the note under the blurb about peacekeeping, above.)

Unlike Norway and Denmark, but in company with Finland, Sweden is not a member of UsefulNotes/{{NATO}}. She does however have a ''Memorandum of Understanding'' with NATO, which in practice means that Sweden [[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute allows NATO to use her territory for military exercises, mobilization and even the use of Swedish military personnel in various hotspots around the world.]] (See the note under the blurb about peacekeeping, above.)

* In the Creator/TomClancy novel ''[[Literature/JackRyan The Cardinal of the Kremlin]]'', the USS ''Dallas'' is discovered and hailed by a Swedish patrol craft when entering the Baltic Sea, the whole incident is resolved within half a page. Oh, and the Swedish captain speaks in a FunetikAksent.

* ''[[VideoGame/WargameEuropeanEscalation Wargame: European Escalation]]'': The sequel to this real-time tactics game, Wargame: [=AirLand=] Battle features combat within Sweden amidst WorldWarIII. Story-wise, the Soviets were fighting against Norwegian troops, then after Sweden decided to mobilize its forces, the Pact preemptively invades.

* The AnthropomorphicPersonification of a Gripen fighter-jet serve as the main heroine in the light novel-series ''LightNovel/GirlyAirForce'', alongside the actual jet-fighter as its "main body".

* The loading screens for the European missions of ''Videogame/WorldInConflict'' show that the Soviets launched an invasion of Sweden with amphibious landings in the south and an attack from occupied Finland in the north. Stockholm has fallen to the Soviets but most of the country remains free with the Swedes fighting back.

* The ''Svenska Marinen'' are the first neutral navy that were featured in ''VideoGame/KanColle'', they are represented by the AnthropomorphicPersonification of [=HSwMS=] ''Gotland'', a seaplane cruiser known for her sighting of German battleship ''Bismarck'' which plays a significant role in the British chase on the great battleship.

And we can't forget the [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon ARCHER artillery system]]. Its rate of fire is 8-9 rounds per minute and deployment time is 30 seconds. It is capable of firing 155 mm rounds and supports [[DeathFromAbove M982 Excalibur]], a GPS guided shell. Using Excalibur ARCHER can with a accurately hit targets up to 60 km away.

* The ''Svenska Marinen'' are the first neutral navy that were featured in ''VideoGame/KantaiCollection'', they are represented by the AnthropomorphicPersonification of [=HSwMS=] ''Gotland'', a seaplane cruiser known for her sighting of German battleship ''Bismarck'' which plays a significant role in the British chase on the great battleship.

* In 2016, ''VideoGame/WorldOfTanks'' introduced a Swedish tech tree to the game, comprised of both real tanks and blueprint only tanks, including the famous Strv 103. The branch uses Shoot and Scoot tactics as it main playstyle with good speed, guns and gun depression at the cost of armor.

Whether or not Sweden should join UsefulNotes/{{NATO}} properly, is currently undergoing heated debate. Many people see it as inevitable, while others stress the need to avoid pissing off UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} too badly.