Sweden’s defense minister has called for an “orderly” and predictable rebalancing of NATO’s military posture in Europe after mixed signals from Washington over troop deployments to Poland rattled allies on the eastern flank.
Speaking to TVP World at the GLOBSEC Forum in Prague, Pål Jonson said Europe was prepared and “not surprised” by US moves to amend its military footprint on the continent, but urged careful coordination with NATO allies to avoid creating gaps.
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“I think the message coming out of Washington for many, many years has been that the Europeans really need to shoulder a larger responsibility for the conventional deterrence in Europe,” he said.
“What is important is, of course, that there’s coordination while you do it, and it’s done in an orderly fashion. So we can cover those gaps that might appear when the US reduce their assets and capabilities in Europe.”
Jonson’s remarks follow two contrasting announcements from Washington regarding the future of US military presence in Poland, a key NATO frontline state bordering Ukraine, Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave and Moscow-aligned Belarus.
Last week, the Pentagon halted a planned deployment of a 4,000-strong military brigade to Poland, only for President Donald Trump to seemingly reverse course on Thursday and announce that an “additional” 5,000 troops would be sent to the country.
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Trump did not specify whether the new contingent would replace the canceled brigade or mark an expansion of the US military presence in Poland. Polish officials have indicated that overall US troop levels are expected to remain broadly similar to recent years, hovering at around 10,000 personnel.
US ‘still needs’ NATO
Addressing Europe’s drive to shoulder more responsibility for security, Swedish minister Jonson said Poland – with which Sweden has strong defense links – was leading the way in turning economic strength into military capability.
“We need to transform economic clout into combat power, which I think Poland has really been the leader in Europe in doing this,” he said.
The Swedish minister, whose country only joined NATO in 2024, also pushed back against suggestions that the alliance is in terminal decline. Asked whether he feared NATO is falling apart, he said: “Not at all. We’re safer inside NATO, and NATO is stronger with us as an ally.”
He also dismissed fears that Washington could leave the organization, arguing that the alliance remained strategically important for the United States itself, citing trade links, military infrastructure and missile defense cooperation across Europe.
“I don’t think that the Americans are leaving,” Jonson said. “NATO is also important not just for the safety of the Europeans, but also for the American continent as well.”