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– It will be activated correctly from both the right and the left. Observation ahead!
Lieutenant Colonel Andreas Holmberg sends a final invitation to the spectators.
And then it hits.
At the far end of the western end of Rävholmen, gunpowder smoke burns from the machine guns of the control company. The sound of grenade launchers being fired is intermingled with the frequent noise of heavy artillery.
The enemy has been observed in Swedish waters and now it is up to the Swedish army to prevent it from reaching land.
It could have been serious. But that’s not really the case today.
“Extremely important business”
The amphibious regiment’s exercise at Rävholmen, between Styrsö and Vrångö in the southern Gothenburg archipelago, will mimic reality as much as possible. The unit acts as the main resource of the Armed Forces in the defense of the coastal archipelago areas, ports and waterways.
– It is in this coastal environment where we must function and be at our best.
Colonel Patrik Gardesten is the commander of the amphibious regiment based in Berga, south of Stockholm.
– For me and my staff, it is an extremely important activity that we carry out today. We have over 400 employees here on the West Coast and what we do with strong ammunition today is build trust in our weapons systems and also It shows for ourselves that we dominate this type of business, says Gardesten.
Gothenburg can get a new amphibious regiment
Approximately a hundred soldiers in various grades are on the scene to witness the exercise. One of them is Elsa Wiklund. On a daily basis, she works as a school information officer in the Armed Forces, where she visits upper secondary schools and upper secondary schools to report on compulsory military service and the work of the Armed Forces.
– Today I have learned a lot. I had no idea about the amphibian regiment before, but I have a good idea who they are and what they work with.
The amphibious regiment exercise consists of four steps.
A belt with sea mines has been placed in the strait. Then the machine gun and grenade launcher take over. From the east side of the island, two battleships arrive and a platoon goes ashore to secure the land.
– It is important to check each of the cracks to see if there are injured people. We follow the Geneva Conventions to the letter and must take responsibility for all wounded and wounded, even on the other side, says Lieutenant Colonel Andreas Holmberg.
Until 2005, there was an amphibious regiment also in Gothenburg before its dissolution. Last year, the Defense Committee proposed that the Älvsborg Amphibious Regiment be reestablished, which would mean around 400 full-time positions. The issue is on the political agenda and for that a political agreement between all parliamentary parties is required.
And that Gothenburg is a strategically important place from a defense point of view is not an understatement.
– Gothenburg with its ports and the west coast with that geography is absolutely crucial for both Sweden and the region. It is critical to our supply of supplies, it is critical to our exports and our economy, which we must not forget, says Patrik Gardesten.
Finally comes the final step of the exercise. From a depth of 19 meters in the strait, a 450 kilogram mine is detonated.
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