Press Releases & Updates 2010

11 members of Trident Ploughshares (TP) made their way to northern Sweden to support a sister organisation, OFOG, at their summer camp in Lulea in July this year. They went to publicise the existence of a huge testing range for war in a supposedly neutral Sweden that is a member of NATO in all but name. OFOG and TP are both members of the European Anti-Militarist Network. OFOG members have often come all the way over to both Faslane in Scotland and Aldermaston in England to take part in TP organised blockades. The summer actions in Sweden were a chance to reciprocate a little. As global citizens it was not difficult to make the connections - the UK test their drones and war plans in northern Sweden at NEAT and so do NATO. Here SArah Lasenby of Trident Ploughshares gives a personal account of the weeklong camp.

At the end of July 2011 an International Exec of WRI took place for 4 days before the War Starts Here event organised by Ofog. Because of this we had representatives from Africa and Latin America as well as Europe and S Korea.

This action aimed to expose the hidden role of the massive test range in the preparation for wars. For the last week of July along with other pink clothing we took a dayglow pink dustpan and brush to help sweep up this militarisation in the north of Sweden and make it NEAT. We went to join the ’War Starts Here’ peace camp to protest against the development of this facility into part of an ’Arctic NATO of the Baltic Countries’. This heightened activity in Northern Europe is explained by an increased interest in the Arctic and its natural resources and the US missile defence system.

Ofog organised this pink event brilliantly with a WRI exec meeting. Resulting in people from 17 countries who were able to participate in the mass action on Tuesday 26th July at the boundary of the prohibited area of the largest military testing range in Europe. In the last two years Ofog [an early Swedish word meaning mischief] had had previous manifestations at NEAT, the Northern European Aero Testing range, but this was by far the largest action they had organised in this relatively isolated northern part of Sweden 150 Km north west of the town of Lulea. We were transported there by two coaches, five minibuses and 15 cars. It was a marvellous sight seeing this convoy making its way to this militarist site. Altogether 190 people plus eleven who set out the evening before, were involved in this pink event. I felt it was really symbolic to use the colour pink against the war machine.

Those who spent the night in the forest were the highlight of the action. They got into the airbase and painted pink peace signs and arrows on the runway showing where war starts. The rest of us, had a pink carnival as we painted the road with pink peace signs leading to the base. We were helped by Nordic clowns and then we all did a die in. At the appointed time we released pink helium filled balloons from our prone positions and waiting to hear the results of our colleagues action.

There were so many of us it seemed unlikely that we would be arrested if we walked up the road to the entrance to the base and this prove to be so. Those internationals who were arrested for entering the base were dealt with during the next few days in Lulea. A total of 201 people took part in the action, which aimed to expose the hidden role of the massive test range in the preparation for wars, including the testing of new military equipment such as drones, missiles and fighter planes.

More about NEAT During the seminar we learnt some sobering facts about Sweden. A supposedly neutral country of 9million people they have the highest percentage of military equipment manufactured per head of population. With a low density of population [moose discounted] NEAT is Europe’s largest overland test range. It is described as having ’Vast space - Limitless possibilities !’ it is nearly as large as Belgium. The opportunities include - "open 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, all year around", "services and infrastructure for testing, evaluating and operating aerospace vehicles", "catering to all vehicle types such as aircraft, helicopters, UAS [drones] missiles, space systems." NEAT is operated by Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV)

In 2009 a US national security directive said that they had broad and fundamental security interests in the Arctic Region. Last year NATO used NEAT for trials without the Swedish Government consulting their Parliament. This amounted to collaboration with US imperialism and seems unlikely to help to bring peace to Europe or the world! While we were there fighter jets kept overflying us in Lulea helping us to realise the reality of what this beautiful wilderness is used for. Yet one more example of the US using NATO for its own designs and with the collusion of many other states. Along with northern Norway this area is described by the Pentagon as ’the Northern flank and of extreme militarily importance’. The US now has military bases in all the Baltic States and many in and around the north west of Norway often referred to as one of the biggest and best equipped aircraft carriers for the United States. Norway promised not to have US bases on their soil but has eight called Collocated Operations Bases, with airstrips, stored ammunition, fuel and spare parts. They also have a huge radar in Vardo just outside the Russian border. Norway has now admitted it is for missile defence, radar technology aimed specifically at Russia. And this is not to mention the US submarines based off northern Norway too.

In January this year David Cameron hosted 9 Baltic countries in discussions on an agreement on the foundation of a new military alliance. This came out of the Stoltenberg report in 2009 "Nordic cooperation on foreign and security policy". In March Liam Fox stated that "We would like to create a broader framework that makes it easier for both NATO and non-NATO members to have a closer relationship in the region." This is an idyllic northern area with magical forests, waterfalls and presumably Father Christmas too but war certainly does start here and we all need to be aware of the build up of military bases and alliances. We must challenge both NEAT and NATO whenever we can.

For information and photos on Ofog website and of flickr

For more photos go to: War Starts Here 2011 for more photos

For further info on NEAT go to the NEAT website

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