Audit flags weaknesses in Swedish military spending and support

Sweden’s National Audit Office has found weaknesses in how the Swedish Armed Forces manage resources, logistics and medical care, making it difficult to determine whether public funds are being used effectively, SVT reports.

The armed forces receive hundreds of billions of kronor from the state for military expansion. The audit found that goals, deliveries and costs are not brought together in a common analysis, and that there is often not enough information to compare the cost of activities with their results.

The audit does not conclude that the armed forces have spent money incorrectly. It says, however, that the available documentation is insufficient to establish whether resources have been used effectively. The National Audit Office recommends that the armed forces clarify their priorities.

“I think this is very serious,” audit director Marcus Pettersson told SVT, saying the armed forces should show taxpayers that their money is being handled efficiently.

A separate audit released the same day found shortcomings in logistics and medical care, including staff and equipment shortages, bottlenecks in infrastructure development and inefficient working methods. The National Audit Office called for more central direction, clearer responsibility for host nation support, and more frequent and realistic exercises in logistics and medical care.

The agency also said the government should set clearer priorities for which parts of the country and which societal functions should be defended, rather than leaving that assessment to the armed forces. “The government governs the country at all levels of conflict, and this is a very important question about the survival of the nation,” audit director Sascha Sohlman told SVT.

SVT said it was seeking comment from the Swedish Armed Forces.