Since Russia parked nuclear-capable Iskander missiles in its Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad last year, militaries around the region have been bolstering their forces. Finland announced in February that it would increase its troop count by 20 per cent and Sweden is tooling up: Stockholm announced this week that it would replace the country’s entire anti-aircraft system. The current equipment, though regularly updated, was developed in the 1950s by US firm Raytheon and will be supplanted by new variants from 2020, with Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and French-Italian maker Eurosam all bidding for the contract. Though Sweden is historically neutral, in September it reintroduced a small garrison on the strategic Baltic island of Gotland and, from 1 July, it will reinstate military conscription for the first time in seven years.