Kenneth Glad
On Gotland, summer ferries still carry visitors toward Visby’s medieval walls. But Sweden’s largest island is also being reshaped by war planning, civil defense drills and its new role inside NATO.
Gotland has become a key part of Sweden’s defense planning as tensions remain high around the Baltic Sea.
Sweden joined NATO in 2024, writes The Guardian, ending more than two centuries of formal military nonalignment and placing Gotland inside the alliance’s northern defense network.
The island lies 87 kilometers from mainland Sweden and 275 kilometers from Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, a position that gives it major strategic weight.
Troops return
Sweden reopened Gotland’s P18 regiment in 2018 after years of reduced military presence, reversing a post-Cold War drawdown that had left the island with a much smaller defense footprint.
That effort has accelerated since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Gotland taking on greater importance in Sweden’s wider military planning.
Col. Andreas Gustafsson told the British newspaper that whoever holds Gotland gains a powerful position in the Baltic:
“So we need to keep control of Gotland – for Sweden, but also for Nato’s sake.”
Civilian readiness
Preparedness now extends beyond the military. The Guardian reports that doctor Eva Rinblad has helped organize neighbors to review emergency supplies, water access and local safety points, part of a wider push to make communities less dependent on outside help.
Asked what should happen in an attack, Rinblad said society should try to keep functioning rather than shut down entirely. She said daily routines would still matter, especially for families and essential workers:
“Society should try to go on as normal – preschools should be open, schools should be open, you should go to work.”
Swedish officials say Gotland could face isolation if supply routes are disrupted, making local food, water, power and medical planning essential. On an island, even basic services can become harder to maintain if ferries, roads or communications are interrupted.
No final plan
The buildup has support, but it has also raised local concerns about development, bureaucracy and how decisions from Stockholm affect island life.
Some residents worry that national security priorities could limit housing, energy projects and other plans shaped around local needs.
That tension reflects Gotland’s unusual position. It remains a summer destination known for Visby, ferries and rural communities, while also being treated as a frontline test of Sweden’s readiness.
Gotland is no longer only a holiday island. It is now a place where Sweden is testing how soldiers, civilians and local services might withstand a Baltic crisis.
The challenge is not just preparing for a possible attack, but doing so without making ordinary island life feel permanently overshadowed by war planning.
Source: The Guardian
