Avsiktsförklaring om ett strategiskt bilateralt partnerskap mellan Sverige och Storbritannien

Letter of lntent

between

the Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom

of Great Britain and Northern lreland

and

the Minister for Defence of the Kingdom of Sweden

1. lntroduction

The United Kingdom and Sweden share a strong relationship between the respective Defence Ministries and Armed Forces, and an extensive range of cooperative activities is underway. This is driven by the 2014 Statement of lntent on Defence Co-operation and rolling Programme of Defence Cooperation, as well as shared membership of the Joint Expeditionary Force and Northern Group. The bilateral defence cooperation also builds on previous Memoranda of Understanding such as Defence Materiel Cooperation dated February 1994, and amended February 2004, the Conduct of Exercises, Training and lntegrated Test and Evaluation Activities and the Provision of Host Nation Support dated April 2013. Europe is facing multiple security challenges and geopolitical uncertainty due to Russia's unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. In order to maintain the status and integrity of the European security order, the United Kingdom and Sweden are resolved to defend its principles, reject attempts to undermine or reshape it, and demand accountability for violations against it. Military aggression to change the borders of Europe must never be accepted. We emphasise the importance of continued solidarity with and support to Ukraine. As expressed in the bilateral Declaration of Solidarity, signed by in May 2022, the United Kingdom and Sweden recognise that regional and global challenges are best addressed by acting together and are willing to explore new initiatives to improve interoperability and further strengthen the bilateral cooperation.

2. Aim

The United Kingdom and Sweden are committed to support Ukraine and respond to its urgent requirement for military equipment. This Letter of lntent sets out a strategic resolve to increase coherence between the respective Armed Forces through the purchase of 14 Archer 6x6 from Sweden, which will form an interim replacement for the 32 AS90 artillery systems which the United Kingdom has granted in kind to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The United Kingdom and Sweden will also look to use donations of Archer 6x6 and AS-90 as the basis for potential further collaboration on the repair and maintenance of artillery systems and vehicles granted to Ukraine. By cooperating bilaterally, the United Kingdom and Sweden are facilitating continued, timely and targeted support to Ukraine, as well as enhancing the ability to deploy alongside each other operationally.

3. Objectives

The introduction of the Archer 6x6 into the British Armed Forces as an interim replacement for the AS-90 systems donated by the United Kingdom to Ukraine will create the opportunity to scope possibilities for enhancement of our ability to deploy alongside each other operationally and thereby improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our Defence resources.

Possibilities to enhance interoperability include close cooperation in the field of exchanging and developing operating procedure and tactics.

In order to do so, the United Kingdom and Sweden will seek to identify possibilities to cooperate in the following areas:

• Logistics. The possibility for development of a common, strong and secure logistics supply chain; • Maintenance. The possibility for a common and optimised maintenance capability, optimising the use of scarce resources in the armed forces; • Procurement. The possibility to jointly procure necessary materiel or services in an effective and cost-efficient way; • Training. The possibility to train together, using common resources and sites; • Exercises. The possibility to do common exercises and team from each armed forces' unique experience within the artillery field; • Tactics, techniques and procedures. The possibility to further develop and optimise the use of the Archer 6x6 in a modern army; • Ammunition. The possibility of common certification of types of ammunition for the Archer 6x6; and • NATO. The possibility to cooperate on further alignment and integration for the Archer 6x6 with NATO command and control standards.

This bilateral cooperation is strengthening artillery capability in the United Kingdom and Sweden while also strengthening and enhancing possibilities for further support to Ukraine.

The potential for maximising opportunities for deepening bilateral cooperation regarding artillery capability will be further explored under the relevant extant bilateral arrangements.

4. Status

The intention of this Letter of lntent is to provide a base for strengthening communication and cooperation, including in the areas of defence and security.

Signature of this Letter of lntent does not constitute a commitment to fund or participate in any cooperation, nor does it represent a legally binding commitment between the Signatories under international or domestic laws. Where any commitments are

required, the Signatories will negotiate appropriate instruments, subject to their national approvals processes. Signed in duplicate.