HallaK9

It's rather silly to compare militaries like this - USA and Sweden are committed to politically and militarily on totally different magnitudes around the world and their militaries are accordingly sized. The Swedish one has fulfilled it's task in protecting Swedish interests with spotless record since 1809, whereas US' track record is rather more choppy.

Nitpick: Sweden has a rather small Army, yes, however it's Navy and Air Force are large enough and state of the art.

Mediancat

This may have started out politically, but it's all over the place now.

Accordingly, I am moving it to MD.

Rob aka Mediancat

Haener

Everything that happens north of Denmark is competely irrelevent to the rest of the world.

Nice Squirrel

Help me! For the love of GOD HELP ME!

I am surrounded by Swedes! There is a large castlelike building a few blocks away called the Swedish Institute! There are Swedish flags and people all around me!

Won't somebody send an army to liberate my land of sky blue waters?

Sincerely,
The Minnesotan

Barefoot Bree

And I am moving it ~Elsewhere~.

Henry-Finland

I disagree a little bit:
If the "protecting ______________ (put here a name of a country) is defined as Our Most Belowed World Leader, bringing Christianity into everyones soul :angel:, does, when he speaks about "The interests of USA", then Sweden used to fulfill it task from 1600-something up to 1809.
In that period the Swedish army, with the infamous Finnish "Hakkapeliitta" murdered :angel: and burned :angel: half of Europe: in Denmark, Germany, Poland, Russia, the Baltian countries.

"They just fulfilled their task as defending their national interests."

Henry

leccy

Thanks for the clarification Henry -

I also wasn't abusing the excellent Swedish army, the excellent Swedish Air Force (love those Gripens and Draakens) or the excellent Swedish football team for that matter.

Greger

Just a technicality, but... We're not neutral. We're without allies. It sounds sorta bad, but that's the situation. :Cheeky:

IamMoose

Sweden? Finland? Swinland? It's all the same, innit? Cold place full of sexually deviant people who like to misuse innocent quadrupeds. Who'd want to go to Swinland? :devil1:

HallaK9

Protecting the interests being of course what the powers that be require the military to do at a given time Re: 30 Years War, the Swedish army under Gustavus Adolphus was quite ahead of it's time when it came to conduct towards the occupied lands and people - of course back in the day it wasn't exactly Geneva Accords standards, but nevertheless. The Hakkapeliittas were involved in lot less 'pillaging and burning' than was the customary back then.

Cumbria?