Under a blazing sun, six soldiers in uniform, helmets on their heads and faces painted green, wait in a ditch. A young recruit consults a map. His mission: to lead his group towards an objective, a few hundred meters away, without being detected by the enemy. You will have to run across fields, with the bag on your back. “The aim of the exercise is to move forward quickly, but not too quickly, without attracting attention, and above all to ensure that the group does not disperse, which is far from easy”explains Second Lieutenant Elias Isaksson, instructor of the P7 regiment, based in Revingehed, in the county of Skåne, in the south of Sweden.
The 23-year-old young man would like to follow in the footsteps of his mother, a career soldier, seconded to NATO command. The accession of Sweden, long non-aligned, to the transatlantic organization in March “opened up many opportunities”, he rejoices. For the moment, the second lieutenant supervises the conscripts to follow the training of section leaders, which lasts fifteen months (compared to nine for ordinary service).
There are around sixty of them, a quarter of whom are young women. Some have dreamed of it since they were little, like Tom Kuhle, 22 years old. With brown hair and round glasses, the young man, born in Germany and naturalized Swedish, volunteered after completing firefighter training. “With the war in Ukraine and what is happening elsewhere, I have the feeling that it is even more important today to be there. That’s what motivates me. »
“I want to be able to defend my family”
Ida Turesson, 20, from Växjö, about 200 kilometers to the north, admits to having a shock at first: “We are constantly under pressure, we always have to hurry. » The young woman discusses from time to time with the other conscripts the threats weighing on Sweden and Europe: “I tell myself it’s better to be ready if the moment comes. I want to be able to stand up for my family and friends, because ultimately that’s what matters, right? »
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At his side, Lucas Tinnert, 20, who grew up on the island of Öland in the Baltic Sea, agrees. The war, he “don’t think about it every day”. But if Sweden is attacked, then he plans to fight, “to protect our culture and lifestyle”. Same for Anton Gerds, 19 years old, future tank commander. He talks about the gap that opened up with his friends who escaped conscription: “They don’t understand what’s at stake and why what we’re doing here is important,” he said.
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