On December 5, the United States and Sweden signed an agreement on defense cooperation in the defense sector. This was reported on the Pentagon's website, UNN reports.
Details
The agreement was signed by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Swedish Defense Minister Paul Johnson. It will allow the two countries to expand their close security partnership, strengthen cooperation in multilateral security operations, and jointly strengthen transatlantic security.
The agreement is intended to apply both before and after Sweden's accession to NATO.
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Sweden is a strong, capable defense partner that and will continue to strengthen the Alliance after the completion of its accession to NATO. Sweden's membership will strengthen our collective defense and enhance our ability to respond to security challenges in the Euro-Atlantic area. Sweden will be a contributor of network security from day one of its membership in NATO, and The Alliance will be stronger for having Sweden as a NATO ally
It is noted that the signed agreement reflects the US commitment to strengthening defense partnerships around the world to promote security.
The agreement will ensure enhanced defense cooperation by establishing conditions for US military operations in Sweden, including the legal status of US military personnel, access to deployment areas, prepositioning of military equipment, and tax and customs rules.