Sweden’s flag raised at NATO headquarters in Norfolk and Brussels [Video]

Sweden’s national flag has been raised at NATO headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, and in Brussels, Belgium to cement the Nordic country’s place as the 32nd member.

BRUSSELS, Belgium — In 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.

And now, for the first time, Sweden’s national flag was raised at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday, and also at the alliance’s only North American headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia.

It cements the Nordic country’s place as the alliance’s 32nd member, two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine persuaded its reluctant public to seek safety under NATO’s security umbrella.

“They have highly capable forces, very integrated already,” NATO Allied Command Transformation Deputy Commander Gen. Chris Badia said at Norfolk’s sunny Monday morning flag-raising ceremony. “So for us, this a highlight, getting stronger and stronger overall. What a great day.”

Across the Atlantic and …

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