Trump’s representative called Sweden a “model NATO ally” at a meeting in Stockholm on the 14th of October.

Twitter post by Under Secretary of State Thomas G. DiNanno @UnderSecT Grateful to deliver remarks about the importance of the Technology Prosperity Deal to our counterparts in #Sweden. Our discussions today focused on defense technology innovation, research security, and space collaboration. To echo @SecRubio, , Sweden is a model NATO ally, and we appreciate the close partnership between our two countries.

Thomas G. DiNanno is the US Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security.

He visited Stockholm to promote the ‘Technology Prosperity Deal’.

His visit was likewise welcomed by the Swedish Foreign Minister, Maria Stenergard, who said “Sweden and the United States share strong and close ties.”

Maria M Stenergard @MariaStenergard Great to welcome @UnderSecT DiNanno to Stockholm! Sweden and the United States share strong and close ties. By turning our Technology Prosperity Deal into concrete actions we can deliver concrete results in space, defence innovation, and research and industrial security. I also stressed the need for continued support for Ukraine and pressure on Russia.

DiNanno is a veteran of the G.W. Bush administration, having joined the Department of Homeland Security at the start of the ‘war on terror’ in 2001.

He also served in the first Trump administration.

This makes him the kind of relatively long-term career diplomat with Department of State experience that Swedish representatives feel at home with.

Even so, his role in arms control has involved attacks against China as recently as February 2026 (Reuters).

The Technology Prosperity Deal was signed between Sweden and the USA in May 2026.

It frames Sweden and the USA as strategic partners.

The deal’s stated aim includes to “power the next generation of AI and global connectivity” (Whitehouse).

In concrete terms this would mean “[b]uilding a trusted, interoperable 5G supply chain”.

It also speaks of working together to ‘shape’ the development of “telecommunications principles and standards“ through working together inside bodies like the International Telecommunication Union and the Global Coalition on Telecommunications, “and in partnership with industry at 3GPP.”

It also means “[e]xploring pathways to develop opportunities for cooperation in the area of health data for biomedical research.”

Plus accelerating the “adoption of digital manufacturing tools and AI-driven process optimization.”

A focus on developing small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) and facilitating cooperation between commercial actors in the space sector.

All these priorities, plus many others also mentioned in the text of the deal, fall inside the classic interests of the Swedish state and the major Swedish businesses who work closely with the state.

For example, a major actor in the 5G sector is Ericsson, which has the powerful Wallenberg family as its largest shareholder.

Likewise pushing small nuclear reactors instead of supporting solar or wind energy has been a major policy pillar of the conservative Moderate Party, of which Maria Stenergard is a member.

Sweden also has its own space industry and launch site near Kiruna.

The wide-ranging nature of the Technology Prosperity Deal could mean that many Swedish medical researchers could be surprised to find themselves cooperating with US firms through a channel facilitated by Trump’s government.

But at the end of the day, this ‘deal’ is only a memorandum of understanding: it is not binding and can be canceled at any time.

The Swedish conservative-led government is a transitional one, and sits only until a new coalition can be agreed.

So a new Social Democrat-led government may cancel the deal and cause it to lapse after the statutory 180 days.

A question is that, if most people in Sweden are unaware of the deal, whether the Social Democrats would bother to cancel it.

Embedded images: Twitter screenshots. I have a policy against linking to far-right websites.