Sweden's key to keeping the waters navigable in a conflict is its world-leading submarine fleet, which analysts say holds some of the most advanced conventional submarines ever built.
"The Swedish submarine fleet is well prepared for this environment and will add greatly to NATO's overall submarine capabilities in the Baltic," a NATO official told Reuters.
"We have regional expertise, which fills a gap, expertise that NATO doesn't have," said Submarine Flotilla Commander Fredrik Linden.
[1/5]The Swedish submarine HMS Gotland lies in a port at the naval base of Karlskrona, Sweden May 25, 2023.
While submerged, conventional submarines run on battery power.
Persons:
Fredrik Linden, Tom Little, Sebastian Bruns, Bruns, Sara Ledwith
Organizations:
NATO, Reuters, U.S navy's, REUTERS, Institute for Security, Kiel University, SAAB, Thomson
Locations:
KARLSKRONA, Sweden, Europe, Baltic, Russia, Germany, Swedish, Gotland, Karlskrona