Submarine seen last year thought to be German
A foreign submarine spotted in the southern part of the Stockholm archipelago last year was likely German, according to anonymous sources speaking with Swedish Radio News.
Military personnel saw an unidentified submarine break the surface for a few seconds during a navel exercise in April 2015. The vessel was spotted by a beacon near Vindbåden, on the outer southern edge of Stockholm's archipelago.
Back in December 2015, the incident was reported to the government’s Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs (Utrikesnämnden). Though it was a serious concern to the opposition parties, no protest against the violating country could be filed without confirming where the submarine came from.
Government declined to comment on the report. Jens Flossdorf, a German military spokesman, said he wasn't aware of the information and could not confirm it.
The Swedish Armed Forces investigated the sighting and concluded that the submarine was likely German, and probably not Russian, though a source at Swedish Radio News says it is not completely clear that the submarine could in fact be German.
But the source still wondered why Sweden filed no protest regarding the incident with the German government.
The Moderate Party's defense policy spokesperson, Hans Wallmark told Swedish Radio News that he is not concerned about the NATO ally's submarine.
"I am less worried about German submarines in Swedish waters than by Russian submarines, because Russia has exhibited completely different behavior in our region and contributed to a worsening security situation in the Baltic region," he said.
All of this follows a suspected submarine which was spotted in Swedish waters in October 2014 and lead to days of unsuccessful searches by the military.
