Defense cuts lead Swedish minister to quit

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- A series of federal defense cuts prompted Swedish Defense Minister Mikael Odenberg to resign his post on Wednesday a report said.

The Local reported that along with resigning as his nation's defense minister this week, Odenberg criticized Finance Minister Anders Borg for making the massive defense cuts without properly ascertaining the current status of the Swedish military.

"You can't just take away lots of defense procurement spending without it having operative effects," Odenberg said of the cuts.

"I want to be able to face myself in the mirror and look our military personnel in the eye," he added.

Odenberg's resignation comes after his lengthy dispute with Borg, that began when the finance minister announced nearly $582 million would be cut from the nation's defense budget this year.

The newspaper reported that while Borg claimed Odenberg had supported such cuts, the defense minister called it a "misunderstanding."