Berga Naval Base, Sweden. (October 28, 202): In this photo by 1st Lieutenant William Reckley, U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Danielle Grimshaw, an intelligence analyst with the Littoral Engineer Reconnaissance Team, 8th Engineer Support Battalion, deploys a R80D Skyraider unmanned aerial system during Exercise Archipelago Endeavor 22.
Berga Naval Base, Sweden. (October 28, 2022): For over two hundred years, Sweden has maintained a strict neutrality in military conflicts by adopting a foreign policy promoting international peace.
Until now.
Sweden abandoned its neutrality in response to the illegal invasion of Ukraine and has applied for NATO membership, a sea change in attitude thanks to Russian Dictator Vladimir Putin. The move has widespread support among the Swedish people with recent surveys indicating 58 percent now support joining the alliance in the face of hostile threats from neighboring Russia.
The last time the Swedes chose sides in times of war stretches back to 1812, when a young America declared war on the British and Napoleon made the unwise decision to invade Russia. Today, American and Swedish Marines train together in exercise Archipelago Endeavor, a series of field maneuvers ranging from water survival techniques to vessel-borne raids and patrols along Sweden’s eastern shore.
Located on the Baltic Sea, Sweden has tens of thousands of mostly uninhabited islands, an ideal playground for U.S. Marines as they practice assault landings with the Swedish Navy. This year, Archipelago Endeavor 22 has united elements of the U.S. 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division and the Swedish Marines from the 204th Rifle Company, 2nd Marine Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. These joint forces practice mission planning, sniper tradecraft, machine gun tactics, patrolling, amphibious raid tactics, and the employment of unmanned aerial surveillance systems such as the R80D Skyraider.
The Skyraider is a state-of-the-art unmanned aerial system that U.S. and Swedish forces will deploy in any future conflict with the Russians. The Skyraider is ideal for gathering intelligence on enemy positions, surveillance, reconnaissance, and clandestine operations. The system requires only one operator and carries a variety of payloads up to five pounds. Although classified, the Skyraider is reputed to be powered by the latest in artificial intelligence.
In the event of war with Russia, Sweden would join NATO allies Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Denmark, and Finland to defend the Baltic Sea region.
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