“I’m available,” Peter Hultqvist said when asked about returning to the defense minister’s post — and he has been explicit about one policy he would pursue if he does.
Hultqvist: state part-ownership in Saab
Peter Hultqvist, who served as Sweden’s defense minister from 2014 to 2022 and is the Social Democrats’ representative on the Försvarsberedningen, told Breaking Defense he and his party are “interested, from our side, in part-ownership in, for example, Saab.” He framed the idea as a response to Saab’s role in producing submarines, sensors and fighter aircraft, calling those platforms “core interests and essential security interests.” Hultqvist added that the mechanics of any stake — “technically speaking, exactly how it would be done” — would be worked out later, and that state part-ownership would also signal “strong Swedish team-building in international contexts.”
Saab response and the legacy of 2000 privatization
Saab’s public comment was limited. Spokesperson Mattias Rådström told Breaking Defense, “We have taken note of the information regarding the proposal, but we will not comment on it further. Owner-related matters are for the owners to address.” The proposal gestures at a reversal of an earlier policy: in 2000, the Swedish state sold a 25 percent ownership stake (61.7 percent of the votes) in the defense group Celsius to Saab as part of a larger acquisition deal, a transaction the source describes as completing the privatization of much of Sweden’s defense industry and shifting major production capabilities in submarines, missiles and artillery into private hands under Saab.
Left Party support, with a caveat against nationalization
The Left Party’s representative on the Defense Commission, Hanna Gunnarsson, told Breaking Defense “We are positive about it.” She framed the idea within a broader view of total defence, saying “Total defense must be built as a whole together with all the different parties: the state, business and industry, the voluntary non-profit sector, and the municipalities.” Gunnarsson was careful to qualify the party’s position: “We’re probably not talking about nationalization or anything like that.”
Moderate Party resistance and a defense-industry argument
The Moderate Party, which has led the current government since the 2022 election, is less persuaded. Jörgen Berglund, chairman of the Defense Commission, told Breaking Defense, “I think it would be a very bad idea, to put it mildly.” He argued that “the Swedish defense industry has survived and remains strong precisely because it is private,” framing state ownership as a threat to the private-sector basis of current capabilities.
Försvarsberedningen’s warning, Russia as the determining threat, and NATO context
The debate over ownership is unfolding against a backdrop of heightened strategic anxiety. The Försvarsberedningen released a preliminary report that warns the security policy situation “remains serious” and highlights a clear “risk of rapid deterioration,” describing Russia as the determining long-term threat. The commission cautions that Russian military actions — including moves “such as testing NATO’s cohesion and Article 5” — “could occur in the relatively near future if the Kremlin sees favourable political conditions.” The full report will follow after Swedish polls close on Sept. 13, no later than Nov. 20.
Those warnings echo public comments from Sweden’s Supreme Commander, Gen. Michael Claesson, who in April and again in May told media that Russia could seize a Baltic island such as Gotland “at any time” or “as soon as tomorrow” to test NATO cohesion and Article 5. The source traces a related trajectory in Sweden’s NATO debate: Hultqvist long opposed joining the alliance and articulated a “Hultqvist doctrine” of bilateral cooperation instead of NATO membership, famously saying in November 2021, “There will be no applications for any membership as long as I am part of a Social Democratic government.” His stance changed after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine: his government applied for NATO membership in May 2022, and Sweden formally joined the alliance in March 2024 under the current right wing government with Pål Jonson as defense minister. The Social Democrats have “remained openly supportive of the alliance since joining,” the source notes, and therefore the report says there should be no expectation that a Hultqvist return would try to disengage Sweden from NATO.
What this means for Saab, the Social Democrats, and Sweden’s defense posture
Saab’s owners and management will likely watch any political proposal closely: the company declined to comment beyond noting owner-related matters belong with owners. The Social Democrats and their potential Left Party partner appear to view a state stake as a tool to protect “core interests” in submarines, sensors and aircraft without pursuing full nationalization. The Moderate Party and defenders of the privatized model are prepared to resist, arguing the current private structure is the foundation of a “strong” defense industry.
Which of these views prevails will depend on electoral outcomes, the commission’s final report, and how political leaders frame the national-security tradeoffs between private ownership and state control as Sweden faces the risks the Försvarsberedningen identified.
