In military terminology, Gotland Sentry (Gotland guard) is referred to as a test of precise defense plans.
– It is Russia that threatens us – The head of the Operational Command of the Swedish Armed Forces Ewa Socog Haslum assessed in an interview with the newspaper “Expressen”. She admitted that the times were over when you talked about the nameless enemy.
Sokog Haslum, commenting on violations of the territories of Poland and Romania by drones, as well as the presence of Russian fighters over Estonia, assessed that “this is not a surprise, but an exacerbation of the situation.” “They conduct destabilizing operations to test us and try to influence us,” she emphasized.
The Vice Admiral, referring to the strategic location of Gotland, reminded that “who controls the island during the war, controls the Baltic Sea.”
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Deputy Admiral Krzysztof Jaworski from the Polish Navy in a statement to Reuters agreed with her. – When you place a rocket unit in Gotland, you can secure almost all of the Baltic Sea – he emphasized. He added that “this is important for every country located on the Baltic Sea.”
Sweden reactivated the presence of soldiers in Gotland in 2018 and placed the Earth's rocket missile batteries on the island. The military unit and the construction of a reserve port in the north of Gotland is underway.
First such exercises
The Polish Operational Command of the Armed Forces at the beginning of the week said that Gotland Sentry is the first Snex bilateral bilateral exercise in Polish-Swedish history. As explained, this abbreviation means the lack of a long planning period, high dynamics of activities and emphasis on the flexibility of command and interoperability. This is one of the most demanding forms of military training, verifying the actual combat readiness. According to the command, the goal is to “demonstrate the abilities of Polish and Swedish armed forces to quickly displace separate components by air, sea and land, as well as improving collective defense procedures.”
Gotland, located in the middle of the Baltic, is located between Stockholm, the Baltic States and the Russian Królewiec District. After the entry of Sweden to NATO in March 2024, it is a place of frequent alliance exercises. In May, British paratroopers landed at Visby, and American soldiers tested Himars and MLRS rocket systems.
