Sweden’s Secret Army

About this episode

Sweden joined NATO in 2024. What took them so long? Historian Johan Wennström, author of The Stay Behinds: Sweden’s Cold War Guardians, joins Aaron MacLean to uncover how Sweden secretly collaborated with NATO for decades while remaining publicly neutral for fear the Soviet Union would invade Finland if they did. With Russia threatening Europe again, Wennström discusses the history of Sweden’s balancing act, how it built an army of sleeper cells, and whether NATO membership risks giving countries a false sense of security. 03:13 The Soviet Threat 08:00 Was Sweden Neutral? 15:52 Sweden in World War II 20:10 Sweden’s Military Might 20:50 Building the Resistance 25:11 Legalizing a Secret Army 28:35 Soviet Invasion Plans 33:05 The Resistance Leaders 37:09 Is Europe Prepared? 41:09 Was NATO a Mistake? 42:41 The Case for Deterrence 44:29 Preparing for Defeat This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com. This episode of School of War is also brought to you by Stratolaunch, a leading pure-play hypersonics company.