Sweden Considers Calling Up Retired Officers Up to Age 70 Amid Security Concerns
Sweden is weighing a proposal to recall retired military officers up to the age of 70 as part of a broader strategy to strengthen national defense amid rising regional tensions, Defence Minister Pål Jonson announced on Monday.
The proposal is one of several recommendations from a 2024 government-commissioned inquiry, launched after Sweden joined NATO in response to Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The move marked a historic end to Sweden’s two centuries of military non-alignment.
“We are living in serious times,” Jonson said during a press conference, emphasizing that the government is making substantial investments in military defense to ensure readiness during times of crisis.
Sweden, a Nordic country with a population of 10.5 million, is focusing not only on equipment but also on personnel capacity in case of armed conflict. The inquiry proposed raising the recall age for former officers from the current 47 to 70 years and removing limits on deployment obligations for former conscripts.
At present, former conscripts can be deployed for up to 10 years after their last active service, but the inquiry recommended scrapping this restriction. Instead, individuals whose service ended more than a decade ago would be placed in the Swedish Armed Forces’ reserve force.
Jonson said these proposals would be submitted for formal review, with the goal of introducing a parliamentary bill in early 2026.
Following the Cold War, Sweden significantly reduced its defense budget, focusing instead on international peacekeeping operations. However, Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea marked a turning point, prompting Sweden to boost military spending and reinstate mandatory conscription in 2017 after a seven-year suspension.
In March 2025, Sweden announced a plan to invest approximately 300 billion kronor ($31 billion) in defense over the next decade, targeting defense spending of 3.5% of GDP by 2030.
