Pentagon discovering new Swedish navy technology amid talks of NATO growth

Brandi Vincent
Could 9, 2022 | FEDSCOOP

The Office of Defense is looking at Swedish armed forces technology to see if it satisfies U.S. army requirements at a time when Sweden could be poised to join the NATO alliance.

Throughout their first global excursion in two decades, officers from the Pentagon’s Overseas Comparative Tests (FCT) method — which hunts for chopping-edge, non-U.S.-built products and solutions with a superior technological innovation readiness degree to deploy for Protection Department applications — not long ago visited the Scandinavian nation. That trip also unfolded as Sweden considers signing up for NATO — and potentially bringing its extraordinary technological innovation portfolio to the military services alliance.

Sweden has been a extensive-time defense companion with the United States, but has remained outdoors the NATO protection pact. Nevertheless, Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine has shifted community viewpoint in Sweden and prompted a reconsideration of whether the country really should sign up for NATO.

“As all people suggests, it’s a political conclusion and no just one has made up their head yet. I think Sweden, as a small- or mid-sized country, has quite quick connections among the armed forces troubles and the technological innovation. And we are regarded to be 1 of the world’s most impressive nations. We have some top-notch engineering,” Swedish Armed Forces Main Scientist, Col. Rickard Stridh instructed FedScoop past 7 days at the House of Sweden, which is positioned in Washington and homes the Swedish Embassy.

Stridh was among the numerous officers who spoke at the 18th U.S.-Sweden Protection Marketplace Conference, which was hosted by the Countrywide Protection Industrial Association (NDIA).

Bryant Streett, director of mission prototypes in the Pentagon’s office of the undersecretary of protection for research and engineering, explained that Sweden has been one particular of the FCT program’s most effective sources of revolutionary technologies. He pointed out that the Swedish aerospace and protection company Saab AB “is most likely the business that’s been the most prosperous with FCT in excess of the very last 40 years” in terms of the quantity of funded initiatives.

“I assume we have funded 80-additionally FCT tasks from Sweden around the years. About $200 million invested by [the office of the secretary of defense] for those initiatives, and perhaps 30-moreover of those people have led to a procurement or to fielding. And that is with a finances, a procurement acquisition, of like $1.5 billion. So, Sweden has done incredibly very well in excess of the a long time since they’ve had truly great technologies that have been much better in lots of cases than we have listed here,” Streett mentioned.

Mandated by Congress with yearly funding, FCT is a software by way of which DOD can lover with allies to “save funds on the advancement of technologies and systems the place the overseas enterprise has presently invested a significant volume of money” to establish the method, in accordance to Streett.

Officers are searching for prototypes to test and likely obtain that can deliver capabilities a U.S. military services services could not still have — or possibilities to existing alternatives that are much less expensive or improved. 

Whilst hypersonic missiles, for instance, are outside of the scope of common FCT projects, Streett claimed the crew is wanting for anything along the strains of “a chip that goes into anything, it could be a new piece of managing products for logistics, it could be a product that screens chemical agents or radiation.”

He and his colleagues saw some of individuals systems on their trip to Sweden before this month. 

The FCT officers expended a day with Saab to focus on digital warfare and maritime systems, and and also fulfilled with 20 other companies.

“Just to give you an notion, there were being two firms that make large-power steel, a 3rd that employs additive production for 3D printing significant-energy metal for genuinely rough programs. [There was] a handheld chemical detector … radiation detectors, and an unexpected emergency oxygen system that permitted a re-respiratory functionality so you really do not have to consider a big canister of oxygen anywhere you go,” Streett reported.

He famous that the group also frequented Finland, Norway and Denmark on their journey to have interaction people nations about technological innovation.

Finland is also thinking of becoming a member of NATO in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.