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On the west coast, the Swenex military exercise is in full swing. This means that large military ships and hundreds of soldiers and sailors are training for a future attack.
– The exercises are used to bring together training associations to protect merchant ships entering our routes in and out of Gothenburg. For the public, there is more activity in the archipelago. You don’t have to worry about accidents, but what we ask civilians to stay away from, otherwise we may need to interrupt the exercise we’re doing, says Jon Wikingsson, naval chief.
Across Sweden, 2,000 soldiers and sailors participate in the exercise along with more than 100 ships and several helicopters. The exercise mainly refers to areas around Gothenburg and southern Bohuslän, Hanö Bay, the southern Baltic Sea and the southern Stockholm archipelago.
Signal sailor Vera Karls is one of the participants.
– It’s really fun. I have been to some before and you may think that it will be a little difficult to be at sea without contact with family and friends. But it’s nice enough to focus on your work and what you’re doing right now, she says.
“Then the bullets are manned”
Among other things, the exercise includes clearing mines, locating special units and submarines.
– An attacker against Sweden will try to destroy our supply lines and then you can use mines, submarines, ground troops and smaller troops in special units. Our task now is to find them, says Jon Wikingsson.
One day of practice is not the same as the other. This can happen a lot during major military exercises.
– If something happens, I attend the bullets on board. One day I point, sail, and protect the ship. Another day, a figurative fire alarm goes off, and then I move to a smoke diver position and work to put out fires and save lives, says Vera Karls.
