Page 47 - Cormorant 2023

Denmark and Sweden
Denmark & Sweden started with a 2 day trip to Copenhagen. Danish hospitality highlighted the similarity between the Brits and the Danes with some good humour and some excellent hosting. A day of briefs at the Royal Danish Military Academy in Copenhagen identified the long running history with the UK, the continued need to work together in a post-Brexit EU, and the ever increasing importance of the Baltic Sea region to prosperity and peace.
The following day saw ACSC students visit the beautiful Copenhagen Kastellet - a citadel constructed in the early
1600s and still a military headquarters within Copenhagen. It was here a service of remembrance was carried
out between ACSC students and representatives of the Danish Armed Forces to remember those lost in times of conflict. After Copenhagen came the bus ride (thankfully not sponsored by
the usual ACSC bus provider on this occasion) over the impressive Oresund Bridge linking Denmark to Sweden and onto Jonkoping to visit Saab for the evening. What followed was an excellent evening mixed with food and drink
(and an English Pub, of course); and a morning sampling Saab products at their impressive simulated weapons range,
an event that tested even the most
“
(not very) accurate of Artillery Officers! Complete at Saab, the visit moved on
to sunny Stockholm where the trip mostly consisted of a day of briefs at the Swedish Defence University and a visit to the incredibly impressive Royal Palace. Briefs naturally focused on Sweden’s imminent membership of the EU, the potential threat from the East, and the return to Cold War doctrine (with some useful learning points from the experts!).
The Royal Palace offered a sumptuous break from academic thoughts, conjuring instead thoughts of luxury, fine dining and wine. Something tested later that night in Stockholm!
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What
followed was an
excellent evening mixed with food and drink (and an English Pub, of course)