Source: NATO
On 3 June 2024, the Director General of the NATO International Military Staff (DGIMS), Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak visited Sweden. While in Stockholm, he met with the Chief of Defence Staff of the Swedish Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Michael Claesson. The conversations centred around strategic security challenges and Sweden’s integration into the Alliance and the challenges facing.
This was the first DGIMS visit to Sweden after the country joined NATO in March. LTG Adamczak highlighted that Sweden offers significant and important military resources and capabilities and the pace of its integration and interoperability had been impressive – testament to the foundations set during nearly thirty years of Partnership with NATO: “Sweden’s accession has brought not only safety for Sweden but also major capabilities to the Alliance, which made NATO stronger and the whole Alliance more secure.”
Discussions of the two commanders focused on the key issues concerning Sweden’s membership in the Alliance, including operational perspectives, command and control arrangements, military implications of increased defence expenditure, workforce challenges and future engagements as well as Sweden’s contribution to NATO missions and operations.
While in Stockholm, Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak also participated in the Key Leader Seminar on the Gender Perspective in Military Operations, chaired by the Chief of the Norwegian Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Ingrid Gjerde. Remarks were also provided by Deputy Defence Minister from Ukraine Nataliia Kalmykova. Participants from 14 nations discussed different aspects of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, which is about how Men, Women, Boys and Girls may be affected differently by situations during conflict – and therefore, how we as military leaders, need to take account of these differences which, in-turn, ensures that our military assessments, plans and military actions, are calibrated to be as effective as possible, mindful of the circumstances we face. It is about understanding the Human Terrain of the battlespace – and then systematically considering if, and how, we might adapt. – underscored DGIMS in his address to the seminar.