Bureaucracy and protected species like frogs are delaying construction of new Swedish Armed Forces regiments in Falun, potentially taking 15 years. Bergslagens artilleriregemente in Kristinehamn has progressed faster despite similar issues. Regiment commanders express frustration over lengthy processing times.
Construction of Dalregementet (I 13) in Falun was decided in 2020, but the forest on the site remains untouched after nearly six years. The municipality's detailed planning has just begun and is expected to take two years, with move-in not until 2035 or later per the Armed Forces' annual report. Regiment chief Ronny Modigs says: "One cannot understand it." Several hundred protected species, including the moor frog and 31 protected animal species, have been found in the Myran area, requiring extensive investigations like hydrological studies and species protection analyses.
Modigs describes operations as fragmented, with the staff on three sites and conscripts cycling between locations. "We lay the tracks at the same time as we drive on them. 40 percent of what we do goes to sorting things out," he says. The Armed Forces require 250 new soldiers annually from Falun by 2030, but the lack of permanent facilities drains energy.
In contrast, Bergslagens artilleriregemente (A 9) in Kristinehamn has overcome bureaucracy faster. The detailed plan is complete, with move-in expected in 2030, despite cases like six to eight weeks' wait to fell trees. Regiment chief Lars O Jonsson says: "I don't think the same thing would happen today."
Ronny Modigs criticizes legislation: "It's a failure to decide in 2020 and think it's acceptable to be ready in 2035." Falu municipality planning chief Michael Ahnfeldt calls for exemptions in laws for defense construction. Four new regiments are being built simultaneously in Falun, Östersund, Sollefteå, and Kristinehamn.
