Following the recent hybrid attacks, Meit Fohlin, the regional government chief, said she meets “every week” with the coast guard, police, firefighters, army, hospital, water and energy operators to map out responses to every possible scenario — ranging from energy shortages to supply blockades to an armed attack on the local harbor.
“We have to be on top of everything,” she said from her office in the island’s medieval capital Visby, adding she now works with all 92 parishes on the island to instruct them on how to react to every crisis scenario.
Gustafsson, the Gotland regiment chief, said he was drawing immediate lessons from the Ukrainian drone unit. “I was quite surprised [by] the numbers that they actually use and face every day,” he said. “My main takeaway is that we have to train with drones a lot more.”
But given the importance of Gotland for the alliance, some capitals still say NATO could do more. The alliance should consider placing permanent long-range air defense systems on Gotland to deter Russia, said two NATO diplomats, granted anonymity to speak freely.
The key is to not let Moscow take the initiative, said Claesson.
“We should not sit on our hands and wait for this and that level of regeneration of Russian armed forces to happen,” said the Swedish defense chief, “but instead be constantly on our toes and prepared.”
CORRECTION: This article has been updated on May 28 to correct the name of the Gotland regiment’s commander. It is Andreas Gustafsson.