Swedish Army

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Swedish Army
Armén
Coat of arms of the Swedish Army
Founded1521; 504 years ago (1521)
CountrySweden Sweden
TypeArmy
Size6,850[1]
Part ofSwedish Armed Forces
March"Svenska arméns paradmarsch"
Anniversaries14 January[2]
EquipmentList of Swedish Army equipment
Engagements
See list
  • War in Afghanistan
WebsiteOfficial site
Commanders
Charles XIV John
Curt von Stedingk
Johan August Sandels

The Swedish Army (

Kingdom of Sweden in Northern Europe / Scandinavia. The army's history dates back to the Swedish War of Liberation
in 1521.

History

Depiction of the Kalmar War. The conflict, lasting from 1611 to 1613, was fought between Denmark–Norway and the Kingdom of Sweden.
Main article: Military history of Sweden

Union of Kalmar, thus making the present-day Life Guards one of the world's oldest regiments still on active duty.

In 1901, Sweden introduced conscription.[3] The conscription system was abolished in 2010 but reinstated in 2017.[4]

Organisation

The peace-time organisation of the Swedish Army is divided into a number of regiments for the different branches. The number of active regiments has been reduced since the end of the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).[5]
The regiment forms training organizations that train the various battalions of the army and home guard.

The Swedish Armed Forces recently underwent a transformation from

anti-aircraft battalions, combat engineer battalions, rangers, logistics battalions and 4 reserve heavy armoured battalions and 40 territorial defence battalions. The battalion is the core unit but all units are completely modular and can be arranged in combat teams from company to brigade level with different units depending on the task. There are a total of 6 permanent staffs under the central command capable of handling large battlegroups, 4 regional staffs, 3 brigade staffs and 1 divisional
staff.

Leadership

Main article: Chief of Army

Until 1937 the

Supreme Commander (ÖB). Instead, the post Chief of Army Staff (Swedish: Chefen för arméledningen) was created at the then newly instituted Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters
(HKV).

In 1998, the Swedish Armed Forces was yet again reorganized. Most of the duties of the Chief of Army Staff were transferred to the newly instituted post of "

Inspector General of the Army" (Swedish: Generalinspektören för armén). The post is similar to that of the "Inspector General of the Swedish Navy" (Swedish: Generalinspektören för marinen) and the "Inspector General of the Swedish Air Force" (Swedish: Generalinspektören för flygvapnet), later renamed to "Inspector of the Army" (Swedish: Arméinspektören). In 2014, the Chief of Army (Swedish
: Arméchefen, AC) position was reinstated.

Regiments

Swedish soldiers during a training exercise.

Swedish Army regiments are tasked with training conscripts for the operational battalions of the army's rapid reaction organisation. The Gotland Regiment is the only regiment that also trains Home Guard troops. The currently active regiments and their main peacetime subordinate units are:

Operational formations

The Swedish Army distinguishes an administrative from an operational structure. The administrative structure includes the peacetime depot units (depåförband), which are responsible for the training, equipment and combat readiness of the forces. Depot units are the army regiments, the air force flotillas, the naval flotillas or the armed forces centers. The depot units generate wartime units (krigsförband), which are transferred to their respective wartime formations, so normally the Swedish army regiments are composed of administrative and training companies during peacetime and their battalions are only formed for exercises and during wartime. The operational units in their entirety are known as the operational organisation of the armed forces (Försvarsmaktens Insatsorganisation (FM IO or just IO, followed by the year it has been introduced in, as IO 2018 or just IO 18 for example) in Swedish). The operational organisation of the army plans for the training regiments to form two combat brigades (2nd and 3rd Brigades) and a number of independent combat battalions within a few days. This plan, however, was considered by the

Supreme Commander to be impossible due to the economic situation at the time.[9]

In 2013, the Armed Forces issued a statement saying that the reorganisation would only suffice for a reasonable defence of Swedish territory for one week.[10] The force was to include the following units:[11]

As of 2022 the 1st Division was reintroduced as an operational unit. The Division currently contains four brigades; The Norbotten Brigade (Norbottensbrigaden NMekB 19), The South Scanian Brigade (Södra Skånska Brigaden MekB 7, The Life Guards Brigade (Livgardesbrigaden IB 1) and The Skaraborg Brigade (Skaraborgsbrigaden MekB 4)[12]

As of 2024 the Army's units of the Operational Organisation are:

  • 1st Division (1. divisionen - being raised)
    • 1st Division Staff - in Skövde (1. divisionsstaben)[13]
      • 1st Divisional Staff Battalion (1. divisionstabsbataljonen)
      • 1st Divisional Electronic Warfare Battalion (1. divisionstelekrigbataljon)
      • 1st Divisional Support Battalion (1. divisionsunderhållsbataljonen) Reduced to company size
      • 1st Divisional Engineer Battalion (1. divisionsingenjörbataljonen) Reduced to company size
  • Life Guards (LG), in Kungsängen
    • Life Guards Battalion (Livbataljonen)
      • Staff and support company, life guards company, life guards mounted squadron, cavalry mounted squadron, might be included in the Life Guards Brigade[14]
    • 1st Military Police Battalion (1. militärpolisbataljonen)
      • Personnel protection company, two military police companies, investigation group
    • 1st Infantry Brigade or Life Guards Brigade (1. infanteribrigaden or livgardesbrigaden IB 1)[15]
      • 1st Motorized Infantry Battalion (1. motoriserade skyttebataljon)[16]
        • Staff and support company, three Patria AMV mechanized companies, support company, signals company
      • 2nd Motorized Infantry Battalion (2. motoriserade skyttebataljon - being raised)
    • 13th Security Battalion (13. säkerhetsbataljonen)
      • Staff and operations squadron, land security squadron, sea security company
  • Life Regiment Hussars (K 3), in Karlsborg
  • Norrland Dragoon Regiment (K 4), in Arvidsjaur
    • Norrland Ranger Battalion (Norrlandsjägarbataljon)
  • Skaraborg Regiment (P 4), in Skövde
    • Skaraborg Brigade (Skaraborgsbrigaden MekB 4 - parts of the brigade being raised)
      • 4th Brigade Staff (4. brigadstaben)[17]
        • 4th Brigade Headquarters Company (4. brigadledningskompaniet) Organized from the 11th Command Battalion
        • 4th Brigade Reconnaissance Company (4. brigadspaningskompaniet)
        • 4th Brigade Signals Company (4. brigadsambandskompaniet) Organized from the 12th Signals Battalion
        • 4th Brigade Air Defence Company (4. brigadluftvärnskompaniet)
      • 41st Armored Battalion (41. pansarbataljonen)
        • Staff and support company, two Stridsvagn 122 tank companies, two CV90 mechanized companies, logistic company
      • 42nd Armored Battalion (42. Pansarbataljonen)
        • Staff and support company, two Stridsvagn 122 tank companies, two CV90 mechanized companies, logistic company
      • 43rd Mechanized Battalion (43. mekaniserade Bataljonen - being raised)
      • 4th Brigade Support Battalion (4. brigadunderhållsbataljonen) Organized from the 1st Logistics Battalion
      • 4th Brigade Engineer Battalion (4. brigadingenjörbataljonen) Organized from the 21st Engineer Battalion
      • 4th Brigade Artillery Battalion (4. brigadartilleribataljonen) Likely organized from the 82nd Artillery Battalion as the 91st and 92nd are being raised
      • 4th Armored Transport Company (4. stridsvagnstransportkompaniet)
        • Organized from the 1st Heavy Transport Company (1. tungtransportkompaniet)
  • South Scanian Regiment (P 7), in Revingehed
    • South Scania Brigade (Södra kånska brigaden MekB 7 - parts of the brigade are being raised)
      • 7th Brigade Staff (7. brigadstaben)
        • 7th Brigade Headquarters Company (7. brigadledningskompaniet)
        • 7th Brigade Reconnaissance Company (7. brigadspaningskompaniet)
        • 7th Brigade Signals Company (7. brigadsambandskompaniet)
        • 7th Brigade Air Defence Company (7. brigadluftvärnskompaniet)
      • 71st Motorized Infantry Battalion (71. motoriserade skyttebataljonen)
        • Staff and support company, three Patria AMV mechanized companies, logistic company
      • 72nd Armored Battalion (72. pansarbataljonen)
        • Staff and support company, two Stridsvagn 122 tank companies, two CV90 mechanized companies, logistic company
      • 73rd Mechanized Battalion (73. mekaniserade bataljonen - being raised)
      • 7th Brigade Support Battalion (7. brigadunderhållsbataljonen)
      • 7th Brigade Engineer Battalion (7. brigadingenjörbataljonen)
      • 7th Brigade Artillery Battalion (7. brigadartilleribataljonen)
      • 7th Armored Transport Company (7. stridsvagnstransportkompaniet)
  • Dalarna Regiment (I 13), in Falun
    • 131st Infantry Battalion (131. skyttebataljonen - being raised)
    • 132nd Infantry Battalion (132. skyttebataljonen - being raised)
  • Gotland Regiment (P 18), in Visby[8]
    • 181st Armored Battalion (181. pansarbataljonen)
      • Staff and support company, Stridsvagn 122 tank company, CV90 mechanized company, logistic company
  • Norrbotten Regiment (I 19), in Boden
    • Norbotten Brigade (Norbottensbrigaden NMekB 19 - parts of the brigade are being raised)
      • 19th Brigade Staff (19. brigadstaben)
        • 19th Brigade Headquarters Company (19. brigadledningskompaniet) Organized from the 11th Command Battalion
        • 19th Brigade Reconnaissance Company (19. brigadspaningskompaniet) equipped with CV90
        • 19th Brigade Signals Company (19. brigadsambandskompaniet)
        • 19th Brigade Air Defence Company (19. brigadluftvärnskompaniet)
      • 191st Armored Battalion (191. pansarbataljonen)
        • Staff and support company, two Stridsvagn 122 tank companies, two CV90 mechanized companies, logistic company
      • 192nd Armored Battalion (192. pansarbataljonen)
        • Staff and support company, two Stridsvagn 122 tank companies, two CV90 mechanized companies, logistic company
      • 193 Mechanized Battalion (193. mekaniserade bataljonen - being raised)
      • 19th Brigade Support Battalion (19. brigadunderhållsbataljonen) Organized from the 2nd Logistics Battalion
      • 19th Brigade Engineer Battalion (19. brigadingenjörbataljonen) Organized from the 22nd Engineer Battalion
      • 19th Brigade Artillery Battalion (19. brigadartilleribataljonen) Likely organized from the 81st Artillery Battalion as the 91st and 92nd are being raised
      • 19th Armored Transport Company (19. stridsvagnstransportkompaniet) Organized from the 1st Heavy Transport Company
  • Västernorrland Regiment (I 21), in Sollefteå
    • 211th Infantry Battalion (211. skyttebataljonen - being raised)
    • Jämtland Ranger Corps (Jämtlands fältjägarkår), in Östersund
      • 212th Infantry Battalion (212. skyttebataljonen - being raised)
  • Boden Artillery Regiment (A 8), in Boden
    • 81st Artillery Battalion (81. artilleribataljon)
      • Staff and logistic battery, three
        Archer
        batteries, sensor battery
    • 82nd Artillery Battalion (82. artilleribataljon)
      • Staff and logistic battery, three Archer batteries, sensor battery
  • Bergslagen Artillery Regiment (A 9), in Kristinehamn
    • 91st Artillery Battalion (91. artilleribataljonen - being raised)
      • Staff and logistic battery, three Archer batteries, sensor battery
    • 92nd Artillery Battalion (92. artilleribataljonen - being raised)
      • Staff and logistic battery, three Archer batteries, sensor battery
  • Göta Engineer Regiment (Ing 2), in Eksjö
    • 21st Engineer Battalion (21. ingenjörbataljon)
      • Staff and logistic company, two engineer companies, machine/bridging company
    • 22nd Engineer Battalion (22. ingenjörbataljon)
      • Staff and logistic company, two engineer companies, machine/bridging company
  • Air Defence Regiment (Lv 6), in Halmstad
    • 61st Air Defence Battalion (61. luftvärnsbataljonen)
    • 62nd Air Defence Battalion (62. luftvärnsbataljonen)
  • Göta Logistic Regiment (T 2), in Skövde
    • 1st Logistic Battalion (1. logistikbataljonen)
    • 2nd Logistic Battalion (2. logistikbataljonen)
    • 1st Medical Reinforcement Company (1. sjukvårdsförstärkningskompaniet)
    • 2nd Medical Reinforcement Company (2. sjukvårdsförstärkningskompaniet)
    • 1st Traffic and Movement Control Company (1. trafik- och transportledningskompaniet)

The following Armed Forces' establishments provide additional units for the Rapid Reaction Organisation:

  • Command Regiment (LedR), in Enköping
    • Command Battalion (Ledningsplatsbataljonen)
      • Three Staff companies, public affairs/ interpreter/ combat camera company
    • Signal Battalion (Sambandsbataljonen)
      • Staff company, two signal companies, signal reinforcement company
    • Electronic Warfare Battalion (Telekrigsbataljonen)
    • Psychological Operations (Psykologiska operationer)
    • Meteorology and Oceanography Center (Meteorologi- och oceanograficentrum)
  • Armed Forces Centre for Defence Medicine, in Gothenburg
    • 1st Hospital Company (1. sjukhuskompaniet)
    • 2nd Hospital Company (2. sjukhuskompaniet)
  • National CBRN Defence Centre (SkyddC), in Umeå
    • 1st
      CBRN defence
      Company (1. CBRN-kompaniet)
  • Armed Forces Technical School, in Halmstad
    • 1st Operational Logistics Battalion (1. Operativa logistikbataljon)

Graphic overview of operational formations 2022

Swedish Army combat formations 2022
Swedish Army and Armed Forces combat support and combat service support formations 2022

Equipment

Main article: List of equipment of the Swedish Army

Home Guard

The Home Guard consists of 40 battalions with a total of 22,000 men. Many of the soldiers have served abroad with regular army units.[18]

Northern Military Region

Main article: Northern Military Region

The Northern Military Region is responsible for supporting Home Guard units in, Jämtland County, Norrbotten County, Västerbotten County, and Västernorrland County with training and administrative resources.[19]

Central Military Region

Main article: Central Military Region

The Central Military Region is responsible for supporting Home Guard units in Dalarna County, Gävleborg County, Södermanland County, Stockholm County, Uppsala County, and Västmanland County with training and administrative resources.[20]

Southern Military Region

Main article: Southern Military Region

The Southern Military Region is responsible for supporting Home Guard units in Blekinge County, Jönköping County, Kalmar County, Kronoberg County, Skåne County, and Östergötland County with training and administrative resources.[21]

Western Military Region

Main article: Western Military Region

The Western Military Region is responsible for supporting Home Guard units in Halland County, Värmland County, Västra Götaland County, and Örebro County with training and administrative resources.[22]

Gotland Military Region

The Home Guard battalion on the island of Gotland falls under the Gotland Regiment, which also commands the active 181st Armored Battalion.[8]

  • Militärregion Gotland, in Visby
    • Gotland Regiment (P 18), in Visby
      • Gotland Group (Gotlandsgruppen – GLG), in Visby
        • Gotland Battalion (Gotlandsbataljonen – 32nd Home Guard Battalion), in Visby

Size

A Combat Vehicle 90

The army on active service during most of the 20th century only consisted of conscript receiving their basic training (at the most one year for privates), and conscripts called up for refreshers (at the most one month for privates) with intervals of at least 4–6 years. During WWII smaller or larger parts of the wartime establishment were also called up for periodical stand-by duty (up to 6 months). The figures for total strength below refer to the total force which could be mobilised. Between the introduction of universal conscription in 1902 until the start of World War II, the army was usually maintained at a consistent strength of 100,000 men, with two-thirds of the force being conscripts for two years. From 1942 onwards, the Swedish government embarked upon a massive and ambitious militarisation program in which conscription was strictly enforced and compulsory service was extended. The basic training for privates was set at 12 months, for future conscript sergeants intended to become platoon leaders (mainly sixth form graduates) 18 months, and for future conscript officers 24 months. These periods were gradually reduced, and the ranks were raised, until it was the same period for all conscripts shortly before conscription was suspended in 2009. This combined with propaganda about conscription being a part of social duty and defending the Swedish principle of folkhemmet, led to an army a size of about 700,000 active duty soldiers that could be mobilised in late 1945. Since the late winter of 1945 the size of the army was slowly decreased as entire reserve battalions and brigades were gradually demobilised, and by late 1947 the size of the army was around 170,000 soldiers who could be mobilised and was planned to stabilise at such a quantity of personnel.

However, due to the rise in tensions between the East and West over the political landscape of Europe, the threat from the Soviet Union in 1949 and 1950, coinciding with the start of the Cold War, led to a return to the militaristic policy by the Swedish government. From 1950 until around 1976 the size of the army was at an average of 250,000 soldiers with a peak of 400,000 mobilisable soldiers during the late 1950s and early 1960s. The rules were badly enforced, but dodging the draft was punishable with imprisonment.

During the 1980s the size of the army was around 180,000 soldiers and was slowly increased as time progressed until around 1988. The end of the Cold War led to a massive restructuring of the Swedish Army. Every year after 1988, the Army discharged around 40,000 conscripts and recruited only 20,000, so that by 1995 the size was down to 80,000 soldiers. Around this time the compulsory service obligation was further reduced to 10 months, reserve service became more flexible, and changes made in enforcement so that forceful enforcement became withdrawn as policy. By 2004 the size of the Swedish Army was down to 60,000 soldiers, and in 2013, three years after the end of conscription, the size was at an all-time low of just 16,000 soldiers, though the army plans to reach a level of 50,000 professional soldiers by 2020, mostly through a large media campaigns. A number of previously disbanded regiments will also be re-raised (Dalarna Regiment, Västernorrland Regiment, Norrland Dragoon Regiment, and Bergslagen Artillery Regiment) with the Jämtland Ranger Regiment re-raised as a battalion of Västernorrland Regiment.[citation needed]

Recruitment

From the 17th century until 1901, Swedish Army recruitment was based upon the

Nordic Battle Group. The army has employed soldiers for UN service
on short time contracts since the 1950s for service abroad.

From July 2010 until 2017, the Swedish Army was an all-professional fighting force. The government announced on 2 March 2017 that conscription was going to be reinstated. Of a pool of around 13,000 men and women born 1999, 4,000 were going to be selected for conscription starting January 2018. The government stated that the number of conscripts may increase in response to foreign events.[23]

Ranks

Main article: Military ranks of the Swedish Armed Forces
Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of

commissioned officers
.

NATO code OF-10 OF-9 OF-8 OF-7 OF-6 OF-5 OF-4 OF-3 OF-2 OF-1
 Swedish Army[24]
General Generallöjtnant Generalmajor Brigadgeneral Överste Överstelöjtnant Major Kapten Löjtnant Fänrik
Other ranks

The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

NATO code OR-9 OR-8 OR-7 OR-6 OR-5 OR-4 OR-3 OR-2 OR-1
 Swedish Army[24]
Regementsförvaltare Förvaltare Överfanjunkare Fanjunkare Översergeant Sergeant Överfurir Furir Korpral Vicekorpral Menig 4 Menig 3 Menig 2 Menig 1 Menig

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-1-032-27900-8
    .
  2. ^ "Idag fyller Livgardet och armén 500 år" (PDF) (Press release) (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021 – via Mynewsdesk.
  3. ^ "Historia: Det svenska försvaret". Säkerhetspolitik.se. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  4. ^ Nilsson, Christopher (2 March 2017). "Värnplikten har återinförts i Sverige". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Swedish military expansion – new regiment inaugurated in Arvidsjaur". Sveriges Radio. 2021-09-24. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  6. ^ https://www.forsvarsmakten.se/sv/organisation/livgardet/insatsforband/livgardesbrigaden/ Swedish Armed Forces. Retrieved 15 September 2024
  7. ^ https://www.forsvarsmakten.se/sv/organisation/livgardet/insatsforband/11e-militarpolisbataljonen/ Swedish Armed Forces. Retrieved 15 September 2024
  8. ^ a b c "Verksamhet på Gotland" (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  9. ^ Sondsson, Eva (26 January 2011). "Ofolkligt försvar". Sundsvalls Tidning (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  10. ^ Wallberg, Peter (10 January 2013). "Politiker till attack: Vill ha mer än en veckas skydd". Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  11. ^ "Försvarsmaktens delårsrapport 2011" (PDF) (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. 2011-08-12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  12. ^ https://www.forsvarsmakten.se/sv/aktuellt/2022/09/armen-skapar-divisionsformaga/ Johansson Alf Swedish Armed Forces Published 29 September 2022 Retrieved 15 September 2024
  13. ^ https://officerstidningen.se/stora-kliv-framat-for-nya-divisionsstaben-under-aurora-23/ Owetz Josefine Officerstidningen Published 5 May 2023 Retrieved September 15 2024
  14. ^ citation needed
  15. ^ https://www.forsvarsmakten.se/sv/organisation/livgardet/insatsforband/livgardesbrigaden/ Swedish Armed Forces Retrieved 15 September 2024
  16. ^ https://www.forsvarsmakten.se/sv/aktuellt/2024/08/forsta-brigaden-aterinvigd/ Swedish Armed Forces Retrieved 15 september 2024
  17. ^ https://www.forsvarsmakten.se/sv/organisation/skaraborgs-regemente-p-4/krigsforband-p-4/4e-brigadstaben/ Swedish Armed Forces Retrieved 15 September 2024
  18. ^ "Rikshemvärnschefens brev till hemvärnspersonalen, dec 2009" (PDF) (Press release) (in Swedish). Home Guard. December 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
  19. ^ a b "Norra Militärregionens Utbildningsgrupper" (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  20. ^ a b "Mellersta Militärregionens Utbildningsgrupper" (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  21. ^ a b "Sodra Militärregionens Utbildningsgrupper" (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  22. ^ a b "Västra Militärregionens Utbildningsgrupper" (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  23. ^ "Sweden brings back military conscription amid Baltic tensions". BBC News. 2 March 2017. Archived from the original on 7 March 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  24. ^ a b "Försvarsmaktens Gradbeteckningar" (PDF). Försvarsmakten (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
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