“If continuous savings reduce our defence ability, this will in turn lead to a defence deficit which must filled in other ways. In practice, this means that all additional savings increase the need to join the alliance,” Wallin said.

In his view, the currently planned defence saving target is too extreme. This requires a cut in the defence budget of 200 million euros by the year 2015.

Wallin does not favour a shortening of compulsory national military service. He does not believe conscripts could get thorough training in a period of, say, four months.