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Sweden played a role of major importance during the Cold War, despite not officially participating. Sweden's location made it an ideal base of operations for both the Soviet Union and the United States. Sweden was never invaded throughout the war, mainly due to their strong defensive power - ranked among the top five in the world at this time.
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Armored fighting vehicles
The Swedish army during the Cold War possessed more or less 24,000 ground vehicles, including 2,354 tanks, 1,257 armored fighting vehicles, and up to 20,000 utility vehicles.
Navy
The Swedish navy possessed a total of 129 ships between 1945 and 1991.
Cruisers
Sweden possessed four cruisers throughout the Cold War.
Destroyers
Sweden had a total of 35 destroyer-class vessels throughout the Cold War, most of them World War II models. As time went on, Sweden begun to put less effort in keeping large surface combatants and instead increasingly relied on patrol boats, fast attack craft, coastal artillery and air superiority. However this approach (especially the overreliance on lighter surface combatants) was somewhat discredited by the early 1980s. Attempts were then made to move back towards heavier more capable surface combatants (e.g. the Ytstridsfartyg Större [Surface Combatant Large] program), but this was ultimately curtailed by the sudden end to the Cold War.
Destroyers in 1945: 28
Destroyers in 1950: 21
Destroyers in 1960: 24
Destroyers in 1970: 17
Destroyers in 1980: 13
Destroyers in 1991: 0
Coastal defense ships
The Swedish navy maintained 7 coastal defense ships after World War II, though some were taken out of service shortly after.
Corvettes
The Swedish navy had as few as six corvettes in service during the Cold War, relying on larger vessels during this time.
Mine warfare vessels
Sweden possessed 19 mine warfare vessels throughout the time period 1945-1991.
Patrol boats
Seventeen patrol boats were in service in the Royal Swedish Navy between 1945 and 1991.
Torpedo boats
Sweden had 12 torpedo boats during the Cold War.
Submarines
Sweden had a total of 26 submarines throughout the Cold War.
Auxiliary vessels
Air force
Sweden had a huge air force - the fourth largest in the world - throughout the Cold War, consisting of more than 4,000 aircraft. Out of these, no less than 3,574 aircraft were armed fighters along with many hundred bombers.