[Goose]

Hungary has approved Sweden's accession. The Baltic Sea is now "NATO Lake".

https://x.com/JackDetsch/status/17622053...86601?s=20

Interesting thread here on what Sweden's accession means for NATO in the Baltic.

Jack Detsch is only half right about Sweden's defense spending. Sweden spent over 2.0% of it's GDP on defense every year until 1997. Like most European countries, it's defense spending declined after the end of the cold war, as did that of the US.
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS....cations=SE

Having Sweden in NATO is a "big deal" from an intelligence point of view. It is a "big deal" because it denies Russia the ability to "hide" in "neutral" waters, assuming they could get ships/submarines that far. Russia has been probing Sweden for years. It was always assumed that in the event of war Russia would take advantage of Sweden trying to be "neutral". Not anymore!

NATO was already in pretty good shape in the Baltic. The route from St. Petersburg is NATO on both sides, so nothing is coming that way. That is why the Baltic Fleet base is in Kaliningrad. However, any ships/submarines leaving there are totally out in the open. They wouldn't last long in any case. The Gdańsk-Klaipėda line will be mined immediately. Also, the presence of a Russian nuclear submarine in the Baltic Sea to attend "Navy Day" in St. Petersburg is about the only time one would see them. The Baltic is no place for a nuclear submarine. Foxtrots are another matter however.

[Goose]

Hungary has approved Sweden's accession. The Baltic Sea is now "NATO Lake".

https://x.com/JackDetsch/status/17622053...86601?s=20

Interesting thread here on what Sweden's accession means for NATO in the Baltic.

Jack Detsch is only half right about Sweden's defense spending. Sweden spent over 2.0% of it's GDP on defense every year until 1997. Like most European countries, it's defense spending declined after the end of the cold war, as did that of the US.
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS....cations=SE

Having Sweden in NATO is a "big deal" from an intelligence point of view. It is a "big deal" because it denies Russia the ability to "hide" in "neutral" waters, assuming they could get ships/submarines that far. Russia has been probing Sweden for years. It was always assumed that in the event of war Russia would take advantage of Sweden trying to be "neutral". Not anymore!

NATO was already in pretty good shape in the Baltic. The route from St. Petersburg is NATO on both sides, so nothing is coming that way. That is why the Baltic Fleet base is in Kaliningrad. However, any ships/submarines leaving there are totally out in the open. They wouldn't last long in any case. The Gdańsk-Klaipėda line will be mined immediately. Also, the presence of a Russian nuclear submarine in the Baltic Sea to attend "Navy Day" in St. Petersburg is about the only time one would see them. The Baltic is no place for a nuclear submarine. Foxtrots are another matter however.