Sweden signs Defence Cooperation Agreement with US.

Represented by Swedish Minister for Defence Pål Jonson and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, Sweden and the US have signed a Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA). This means that the countries have agreed on the conditions for US forces to operate in Sweden. The DCA regulates issues such as the legal status of US forces, access to deployment areas and pre-positioning of military materiel in Sweden.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Cody Prine, a HIMARS section chief, shakes hands with Swedish Army Brig. Gen. Laura Swaan Wrede, deputy chief of the Army during Nordic Strike 22, a Swedish Army-led, 56th Artillery Command and U.S. Army Europe and Africa-supported live-fire exercise at Vidsel Test Range, Sweden, Sep. 27, 2022 (Picture source: U.S. Army/Spc. Dean Johnson)

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin received Swedish Minister for Defence Pål Jonson at the Pentagon for talks on current security issues and enhanced defense cooperation between Sweden and the US. The main point of the meeting was the signing of a DCA.

The signing of the DCA simplifies the conditions that will apply when US forces are in Sweden. The DCA is an important step in deepened military cooperation with the US. It strengthens both Sweden’s and its neighboring countries’ regional security by conveying the engagement and actual presence of the US.

The US has entered into DCAs with a large number of European countries. Norway signed a DCA in 2021, and both Finland and Denmark are currently negotiating DCAs with the US.

The DCA specifies the Swedish Armed Forces’ areas and facilities where the US will have access to visit and conduct activities. For the DCA to enter into force, the Riksdag must approve it and adopt the legislative amendments needed to implement it. Consideration in the Riksdag, followed by entry into force, should be possible in 2024.

Defense News December 2023