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welcome to this week in defense news. how can the european union stop the nuclear program? wewilll have the latest. we will have the latest on the scripted army defending the soviet union, sweden's forces can be deployed quickly worldwide. sweden holds the eu presidency. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> i want to start off, what are some of the threats that are driving your defense plans and what are your top priorities? >> my priority is to have the own forces that are quickly available and usable for all tasks that the swedish army may face in the future. previously, we had one full structure for onnatial news and

one e thinatnaterniol the intero nass ns omi iniothe future, we will veha employed soldierd have employed soldiers and more available and usable for all ths taskforces ta esce rc rc th will not stju just in e i smler units that were staying without rotating and gaining more experience. >> we are looking at a better group concept. we learned with the battalion based system. that is flexible and capable. we will have several of them which means considerable strength in the future. >> what are some of your threats? is it russia or defensive natural resources? what are the missions and threats? >> in our part of the world, we see some change. i think we will see strategic change in the sea where the new

energy resources are being made. you see new lines of civilian sea transportation. the baltic sea has changed. we have more than doubled russian transports. we see changes. it is stable, generally, due to the previous enlargement of the united nations and nato. in the region, we need to project stability in the region and in the international operations in afghanistan and smaller countries. >> let's go to the eu. what are the priorities when it comes to the priorities you want to see the eu engage? >> it is pretty much the same thing as u.s. and sweden. we need more usable forces. we have, at each time, two

quick response forces for the eu. they have never been used yet. we need to find common political ground and we need to know when to use them. >> where do you want to take the relationship with the united states? it is a relationship that has grown since the end of the cold war. the engine on the grip is an american engine. where do you want to take swedish relations? >> the relations have improved lately and they have been good before that. we cooperate closely with any international operations. sweden took part in the afghanistan operations and nato. we had a good operation with the technological development. we could be better on that. there are still questions

concerning black boxes and common perception of export markets that could improve more. in a general sense, our relations are excellent. >> swedish troops are participating. what are some of the lessons learned that you are drawing from whether it is the experience in the balkens or the military? >> afghanistan f not least, we are increasing -- afghanistan, if not at least, we are increasing the military stand. we are increasing the foreign aid programs by 60%. we need to show that afghanistan is doing good. we have a base in kabul. we are doing more in security. we welcome. that is the line of the new american administration. >> what about this before the

show began. you were talking about the popularity with the man on the street. the afghanistan mission, there is less support for it. that is an issue across europe. how do you make sure the public, your public, makes sure you support it over the long term? >> in somalia, we are protecting the delivery of food to civilians. it is obvious that has a vast public support. we are also stopping acts of piracy. afghanistan is a complicated story. we need to secure the support of the afghan people. we need to do better when it comes to foreign aid. we need to, as far as possible, limit civilian casualties in afghanistan. that is important for us in sweden. it is important for the public

in afghanistan. we need to show that we need to lead to a better future. the results are quite significant in afghanistan. we are looking at an election on 20th of august. it is a major step. a number of girls going school. that is increasing. a number of people have access to health care in afghanistan. the results are there. there is more to do. >> is that enough to sell that mission and make sure there is support at home for you to spend the money to do that? >> actually, the public in sweden is not critical. they have questions. we need to address those questions. i'm impressed by the way the danes have handled it. they suffered major casualties. they talked about the risks and the risks are the reason we are all in the international operations to help civilians. >> let me take you to a swedish budget question. the defense budget has been cut

for a number of years. what is the outlook? >> it previously has been cut. we have planning for the budget for the future. we are also trying to do away with the old supporting structures from the cold war and transferring those funds to the more core activities of the armed forces. that could be as much as 10% of the budget for the armed forces. that will be quite significant increase in the armed forces. >> and part of that is to buy more available military equipment. >> exactly. i'll purchase the best equipment and also the most specialized equipment to make the money go further in promoting a stronger defense. >> even if that means ordering contracts that are not in swedish industry? >> i'll buy the best available

material at the best price. in the end, the armed forces of sweden will have access to more defensive equipment. >> sir, thank you for joining us. we appreciate it. coming up, how the eu can help the crisis in iran. you are watching this week in defense news.

the defense secretary robert gates says the drive to get iran weapons is the leading security risk in the world. can you eu help? we have the personal representative on nonproliferation of mass destruction with us and richard wright. head of the coordination of the eu. welcome to the show. let's start with you on iran. it looks like no one has good answers. what can the united states and the eu do to solve the problem? >> i will not tell you any

special secret. the eu and the united states have to implement consistency of the policies. we have to engage with iran and the united states and in the group of the three plus three to show to the iranians that we are ready to talk to them. we are showing our respect for the sovereignty of iran in the process and we have to stress that we are ready to discuss with iran any issue, including the security concerns. iran serves a place in the world and the region because of its size and history and its culture.

we have to consistency make this point. we have to continue to work with other partners and convince other countries who are friends of iran to convince iran that this is the way to move forward. >> richard, let me take you through that. that is the carrot to show iranians that we are willing to listen. what are the sanctions that we should be using? >> let me recall the background. we have three united nations security council resolutions that are implemented in a robust way in the international community and eu as well as we continue to do that. as she said, we have to see how

the situation evolves and, you know, one hopes it doesn't come to this situation in the future. i think the international community, nonetheless, has shown through the path that it is ready to act. you know, if the situation requires, consideration will have to be given to that again. as she said, our hope is to try to work with our partners with the mechanisms that have been set up to find a peaceful solution to the problem. >> i would like to add that one talks a lot about sanctions. let's be clear, the biggest sanction for iran is by not engaging with the u.s. on the nuclear weapons issue, iran is isolating itself. it is clear from what is happening in tehran that the iranian people do not want to be isolated. they want to be part of the

world. they want to communicate with other people in our countries in the world. what we want to do with iran is to engage and we want to establish with iran a normal relationship. >> and that engagement is what we are seeing right now. the hope is, obviously, the internal circumstance will drive this to a peaceful resolution. let's take the use of force. nobody has taken use of force off the table. people in europe have not done that. there is a concern about israel using force and the united states hasn't taken it off the table either. have people thought about the second and third order of consequences before or after a military strike against tehran? >> the eu adopted in 2003 a security strategy. that is our strategic concept. we are in favor of the

diplomatic solutions. we don't think military strikes constitute resolution. we very much wish that this option is not implemented. we think the region is very complicated. it is complicated enough. we hope that everybody will refrain from it. but, it is clear that i can intellectually understand that the development of a nuclear military program in iran is a threat and a threat to israel and a threat for other countries in the region. >> richard, let me take you through crisis management for a moment. there are those that is a the structure makes it difficult. obviously each nation controls its own security affairs. what is the best model to be

using as the eu gets involved? >> i think you know, the european union has shown over the course of the last 10 years that its readiness to act and use all its instruments to act. you mentioned the policy issue. this is the first time the union mounted a naval operation off the seas of somalia and the eu is in charge of a complex operation. it is working closely with other countries and with nato and the region. it is not just that. we have police and civilian missions in afghanistan and in bosnia and security missions in the congo and missions in palenstine. crisis management is not just

missions. it is also diplomacy and using tools that the european commission has installed. we have stability instruments that allows us to act rapidly in case of crisis. we have humanitarian assistance and development assistance. the eu has equipped itself with all the tools. we would all like more resources. i think we have shown over the last 10 years how it has been said in speeches. we have been positioning ourselves strongly in the world promoting peace and security on the basis of our core values. >> thank you. we appreciate you joining us. we'll be back in a moment with the latest navy fighting ships.

may not be getting bigger, but the navy is always getting new ships. we have the combat ship with the new propulsion system that authorities hopes become standard. phil, welcome to the show. let's start with the combat ii. the uss independence. >> it has three hulls as opposed to one. it is made out of steel. it rides differently from the other navy ships. navy is putting through the paces in the gulf coast right now. service hasn't taken delivery yet. the navy hopes to commission it this fall in the gulf coast. >> the plan is to keep both of the designs. to keep the lockheed design which is the hull and the gd? >> yes. that is correct. it is an open question

depending on who you ask over how many the navy will buy. the navy has one class of lcs within that class for different crews and designs. >> that will be interesting to see given there was no imposed standardization with the ships. let's go to macon island. thatiss the large amphibious helicopter. >> outside, it looks the same, but on the inside, it has electric motors to turn the props. >> steam driving steam turbines to drive the ship? >> yes. as opposed to diesel generators. itt also has two turbines that

the ship can take in when it needs to make a high-speed run. it runs more efficiently. the navy hopes it will acquire less maintenance. >> and getting under way is the push of a button from getting way with the evolution earlier. >> yes. you can push a button and get under way quickly. >> what other changes are in the design? >> it has two stacks on the super structure that you notice immediately for the exhaust for the turbines. it has a new ship sense about it. it has been in new york for several years because of delays and problems. as opposed to the earlier ships which are 20 years or older. it is brand new with the state- of-the-art features. >> let's go to the port royal. it was grounded off honolulu

february 5th. the navy has findings. what happened? >> it was a mess. the ship had been in the shipyard for five months. it was out for sea trials for the first time. the crew didn't know what they were doing. the instruments were not functioning. the captain hadn't slept in three days. it was a perfect storm. it will cost a lot of money to repair. >> do we have an estimate? >> $40 million. the bills have not been paid yet. it could be more or less when it comes due. >> bill, thank you for joining us. coming up, my notebook.

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and make it easy when you're away. and where ever you go, atm fees won't follow. get back to what really matters switch to suntrust checking today suntrust. live solid, bank solid. the defense secretary moved to increase the size of the army by 25,000 troops. he says more soldiers are needed to cover operations and will be phased out over the coming years. this comes at a time when there

an aggressive withdraw in iraq. this will cost at lead $2 billion a year from the finite budget. thee budget is capped at $44 million annually. clearly some of what the pentagon wants to buy can and needs to be cut. the current tempo of operations has been stressing the force largely because of too many troops and too few committed to fighting. continued robust spending on weapons systems in tandem with reforms is what is necessary to make it better equipped.

thanks for joining us for this week in defense news. you can watch this program online at defensenewstv.com. i'll be back next week. have a great week. fios guy! where ya headed? uh, just installed fios in the whole building. now everyone has the fastest upload speeds, and we're giving them a mini netbook. well, i'm sticking with cable. so is ted. (ted) no i'm not! he's just goofing. (ted) no i'm not. ted has betrayed me... okay... (announcer) unlike cable, fios brings 100% fiber optics straight to your home. switch now, and get a free compaq mini netbook computer. just pay shipping, handling and taxes. with fios, you'll get razor-sharp tv, america's top rated internet - now even faster, and crystal-clear phone service, all for just... call the verizon center for customers with disabilities fab@b@fab@ and for a limited time, get an incredible compaq mini, to get the most out of your fios internet.