02079cam a2200385 i 4500 rnd000000000047801 RAND 920212s1991 cauab b 000 0 eng d 91173926 0833011030 RAND/R-4007-RC (Sirsi) a189025 $25.00 CstmoR CstmoR e-sw--- UG635.S85 .B58 1991 Bitzinger, Richard. author. Facing the future : the Swedish Air Force, 1990-2005 / Richard A. Bitzinger. Santa Monica, CA : RAND, 1991. xiii, 59 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm text txt rdacontent computer c rdamedia unmediated n rdamedia online resource cr rdacarrier volume nc rdacarrier Includes bibliographical references (p. 53-59). This report examines the current and future state of the Swedish Air Force (SwAF) as it embarks on a major modernization program and the implications that this has or may have for Swedish defense and Western security interests. The SwAF is currently one of the largest air forces in Western Europe and should remain a considerable and capable force into the 21st century, despite continuing defense budgetary constraints. It will not be able to compensate fully for the decline in Sweden's other military services, however, creating the risk that Sweden's defenses could become a hollow shell. Sweden could find itself increasingly dependent upon its assumptions of an indirect U.S. security guarantee, which in the absence of a formal defense agreement is an unreliable basis for national security. Also available on the internet via WWW in PDF format. Description based on print version record. Sweden. Flygvapnet. Air forces Sweden. Military planning Sweden. Sweden Defenses. Rand Corporation. Online Access http://www.rand.org/pubs/reports/R4007/ 598069 598069