[BostonCard]

Denmark has controlled access to the Baltic Sea for about 300 years, so I think NATO has had that capability for a while. During the cold war, Denmark could completely shut down access to the Baltic Sea (in or out) with mines in under 20 minutes. They practiced it regularly. This is above and beyond the fixed fortifications and the Danish Navy forces afloat.

Yeah, but it is always better to control both sides of a straight, and now you have Denmark and Sweden.  The Baltic is now a NATO lake.

For sure, although Sweden will bring some challenges. They have a fairly large military industrial complex that receives lots of direct state support. This will almost certainly continue and be a source of some strife. They also currently operate under a different set of "ITARS" that will require some jawboning to work out.

These days, adding a military industrial base would be a plus, I would think.  Given the speed that a regional war not involving NATO has chewed through NATO materiel, I would think that being able to add another military producer would be a positive, especially if a confrontation with Russia becomes a war of attrition.

BC

[BostonCard]

Denmark has controlled access to the Baltic Sea for about 300 years, so I think NATO has had that capability for a while. During the cold war, Denmark could completely shut down access to the Baltic Sea (in or out) with mines in under 20 minutes. They practiced it regularly. This is above and beyond the fixed fortifications and the Danish Navy forces afloat.

Yeah, but it is always better to control both sides of a straight, and now you have Denmark and Sweden.  The Baltic is now a NATO lake.

For sure, although Sweden will bring some challenges. They have a fairly large military industrial complex that receives lots of direct state support. This will almost certainly continue and be a source of some strife. They also currently operate under a different set of "ITARS" that will require some jawboning to work out.

These days, adding a military industrial base would be a plus, I would think.  Given the speed that a regional war not involving NATO has chewed through NATO materiel, I would think that being able to add another military producer would be a positive, especially if a confrontation with Russia becomes a war of attrition.

BC