The Royal Guards (Högvakten) are the king's cavalry and infantry guard of honor, tasked with the protection of the Swedish royal family and thus primarily based in Stockholm.

According to the Guardsmen AK spoke to, Sweden joining NATO will not alter their lives much, though it is more significant for those units that are constantly on foreign missions.

Swedish military personnel have in recent years served in locations such as Kosovo, and in the Gulf of Aden a part of the counter-piracy military Operation Atalanta.

Maj. Stefan Appel, deputy commander of the Royal Guards, told AK with reference to joining NATO that: "Major changes have gone ahead over a very short time frame. It is clear that the military strategic situation has changed many times. First of all in defense against potential invasion during the Cold War, then the era of international missions, and now, actual national defense again. But this time as a member of NATO. These represent really major changes."

Sweden's cooperation with NATO had in any case been constantly growing in recent decades, meaning that the decision to join NATO – made nearly two years ago and held up by member states Turkey and Hungary – came as no great surprise to the soldiers.

Nonetheless, it will make planning defense exercises with other countries and exercises in the Baltic Sea region far easier, they said.

Group Leader Alexander Lantz meanwhile said: "It's great that this process is now complete. This is something we've been involved with for a while now. It's interesting what actual changes this will bring for us."

The original AK slot (in Estonian and Swedish) is here.

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