Swedish opposition party, ahead in polls, could push for state ownership in Saab

(Jonas Olsson – Breaking Defense) The next Swedish government may consider bringing back an old idea: the government taking an ownership stake in national defense champion Saab. Peter Hultqvist served as defense minister from 2014 to 2022, and with surveys showing the red-green opposition bloc leading the incumbent right wing government by more than 10 percentage points, he could well end up taking his old seat back following Sweden’s Sept. 13 parliamentary elections. (Asked about his interest in the role, his response was, “I’m available.”). Speaking to Breaking Defense on the sidelines of a June 12 meeting of the Swedish Defense Commission (Försvarsberedningen), Hultqvist, his party’s representative to the commission, threw his weight behind the idea that the government should have some ownership of one of Europe’s biggest defense industries. “Well, technically speaking, exactly how it would be done is something we can come back to when it becomes relevant. But we [the Social Democrats] have said that we are interested, from our side, in part-ownership in, for example, Saab — because Saab is an industry that is so important to Sweden, and moreover has responsibility for submarines, sensors, and fighter aircraft,” Hultqvist said in an interview. – Swedish opposition party, ahead in polls, could push for state ownership in Saab – Breaking Defense