Swedish Armed Forces
Military manpower
Military age	18 years of age
Availability	males age 15-49: 2,062,566 (2001 est.)
Fit for military service	males age 15-46: 1,802,955 (2001 est.)
Reaching military age annually	males: 51,506 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures
Dollar figure	$5 billion (FY98)
Percent of GDP	2.1% (FY98)

The Swedish Armed Forces, or Försvarsmakten, is a Government agency responsible for the peacetime operation of the armed forces of Sweden. The primary task of the agency is to train and deploy peace support forces abroad, while maintaining the long-term ability to refocus on the defense of the country in the event of war. The Armed Forces is branched into Army, Air Force and Navy. As a Government agency, it reports to the Swedish Ministry of Defence. The head of armed forces is the Commander-in-Chief of the Swedish Armed Forces (Överbefälhavaren, ÖB), beside the Sovereign the most senior officer in the country. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1840x631, 35 KB) Summary Logo of the Swedish Armed Forces. ... The Government agencies in Sweden are state controlled organizations who act independently to carry out the policies of the Swedish Government. ... Armed forces are the military forces of a state. ... Norwegian Blue Helmet during the Siege of Sarajevo, 1992 - 1993, photo by Mikhail Evstafiev. ... Swedish Army - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Swedish Air Force, or Flygvapnet, is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces, the military of Sweden. ... The Swedish Naval Ensign Coat of arms of the Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy (Swedish: Marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. ... The Commander-in-Chief of the Swedish Armed Forces (Swedish Överbefälhavaren, ÖB) is the highest military officer in Sweden and the supreme commander of the Swedish Armed Forces in both peace-time and war-time. ...

Sweden's military is built on conscription, and until the end of the Cold War nearly all males reaching the age of military service were conscripted. In recent years, the number of conscripted males has reduced dramatically, while the number of female volunteers has increased slightly. Recruitment has generally shifted towards finding the most motivated recruits, rather than solely on the otherwise most fit for service. All soldiers serving abroad are by law required to be volunteers. In 1975 the total number of conscripts was 45,000. By 2003 it was down to 15,000. After the Defense Proposition 2004, the number of troops in training will decrease even more to between 5000 and 10000 each year, which emphasizes the need to recruit only the soldiers later prepared to volunteer for international service. The Cold War (Russian: Холодная война , Kholodna-ya voina) was the protracted geopolitical, ideological, and economic struggle that emerged after World War II between the global superpowers of the Soviet Union and the United States, supported by their alliance partners. ... This group of political volunteers is working to promote voter turn-out. ...

Currently, one of the most important tasks for the Swedish Armed Forces is to form a Swedish-led EU Battle Group to which Norway, Finland and Estonia will also contribute. The Nordic Battle Group (NBG) is to have a 10-day deployment readiness during the first half of 2008. The European Union battle groups is a project done in the context of the European Security and Defence Policy, its aim being the creation of several rapidly deployable units for international intervention and tasks reaching up to full-combat situations. ... 2008 (MMVIII) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Possible enemies

Usually, the adversary in tactical wargames and scenarios is thought to use equipment from the former Warsaw Pact, although a specific country is never mentioned for political reasons. The majority of Swedish equipment is NATO compatible, and most scenarios include some form of cooperation with one or more of the NATO members. Recent political decisions have strongly emphasized the will to participate in international operations, to the point where this has become the main short-term goal of training and equipment acquisition. Wargaming can be one of number of ways of exploring the effects of warfare without actual combat. ... Unofficial Seal of the Warsaw Pact Distinguish from the Warsaw Convention, which is an agreement among airlines about financial liability. ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for collective security established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949. ...

Sweden aims to have the option of remaining neutral in case of proximate war, and therefore is not a formal member of NATO or any other military alliance. A neutral country takes no side in a war between other parties, and in return hopes to avoid being attacked by either of them. ...

Current deployments

Currently, Sweden has deployed military forces in Liberia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Kosovo. Observers from Sweden have been sent to a large number of countries, including Georgia, North Korea and Lebanon. Bosnia and Herzegovina (officially Bosna i Hercegovina, shortened to BiH, also in English variously written Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Bosnia-Hercegovina) is a mountainous country in the western Balkans. ... For other uses, see Kosovo (disambiguation). ... In general, an observer is any system which receives information from an object. ...

Training

Officers are trained at the Swedish Armed Forces Military Academy which has establishments at Karlberg Castle in Stockholm, and in Halmstad. Conscripts are trained at the different units of the three branches, the purpose of which primarily being training installations and without significant wartime importance. The Old town in Stockholm from the air is the capital of Sweden, located on the south east coast of Sweden. ... Halmstad [hulm-stɑː(d)] is a city in Halland in south-western Sweden. ...

Military Ranks

Swedish military ranks, essentially corresponds to those used by the armed forces of the English speaking world. Swedish ranks correspond even more closely to those in German usage due to linguistic similarities. See comparative military ranks. Military rank, or simply rank, is a system of grading seniority and command within military organizations. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Comparative military ranks are a means of comparing military rank systems of different nations as a means of categorizing the hierarchy of an armed force compared to another. ...

There are two different systems of rank for commissioned officers, depending on whether one is commissioned according to the system used in the Army, or the one in the Navy. The Air Force and the non-navy Marine Forces uses the same system as the Army. In military organizations, a commissioned officer is a member of the service who derives authority directly from a sovereign power, and as such holds a commission from that power. ...

The military introduced the rank of Brigadier General in 2001. The rank and the responsibilities associated with it existed before 2001, but all officers were commissioned as "Colonel First Class", or Överste av första graden, i. e. not a General. The same goes for Flottiljamiral which used to be Kommendör av första graden, or "Captain First Class". The background for this anomaly was a political will to limit the number of Generals in the armed forces. No Swedish Field Marshals have been appointed since the 19th century. Popular government in Sweden rests upon ancient traditions. ... This is a list of the 77 Field Marshals of Sweden, with their respective years of appointment, from the 16th to the 19th century. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

All officer's ranks below commissioned officers use the same system of rank independent of their branch of service and are divided into two classes. The higher class, "underofficer", has a status comparable to that of a warrant officer and often carries a responsibility comparable to that of a lower ranking commissioned officer. The lower class, "underbefäl", are the non-commissioned officers of the armed forces. Cadets hold a rank equivalent to that of a WO "Sergeant", but wear different insignia. The ranks of fanjunkare, överfurir and vicekorpral are rarely used in the regular service. They are however used in volunteer and auxiliary forces. A Warrant Officer (WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. ... A Warrant Officer (WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. ... A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer), also known as an NCO or noncom, is a non-commissioned member of an armed force who has been given authority by a commissioned officer. ... A Warrant Officer (WO) is a member of a military organization holding one of a specific group of ranks. ... A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer), also known as an NCO or noncom, is a non-commissioned member of an armed force who has been given authority by a commissioned officer. ...

Organization

Branches

• Swedish Army (Armén)
• Royal Swedish Navy (Marinen)
• Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet)
• Swedish Home Guard (Hemvärnet)

Swedish Army - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Swedish Naval Ensign Coat of arms of the Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy (Swedish: Marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. ... The Swedish Air Force, or Flygvapnet, is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces, the military of Sweden. ... The Swedish Home Guard (Swedish: Hemvärnet) is a part of the Swedish Armed Forces. ...

Military Districts

The Military Districts were decommissioned the 31 of december 2005.

The former ones were:

• Gotland Military District (MD G)
• Central Military District (MD M)
• Northern Military District (MD N)
• Southern Military District (MD S)

▶ (help· info) is the largest island in the Baltic Sea with a size of 2,994 km². It is also the largest island belonging to Sweden. ...

Schools

Some of the schools listed below answers to other units, listed under the various branches of the Armed Forces.

• Amphibious Combat School (AmfSS) located in Vaxholm
• Artillery Combat School (ArtSS) located in Kristinehamn
• Armed Forces Technical School (FMTS) located in Halmstad
• Air Force Uppsala Schools (F 20) located in Uppsala
• Field Work School (FarbS) located in Eksjö
• Air Force Air Officer School (FBS) located in Uppsala
• Airborne Ranger School (FJS) located in Karlsborg
• Flight School (FlygS) located in Linköping/Malmen
• Armed Forces Halmstad Schools (FMHS) located in Halmstad
• Helicopter Combat School (HkpSS) located in Linköping/Malmen
• Home Guard Combat School (HvSS) located in Södertälje
• Command School (LedS) located in Enköping
• Anti-Aircraft Combat School (LvSS) located in Halmstad
• Military Academy Halmstad (MHS H) located in Halmstad
• Military Academy Karlberg (MHS K) located in Stockholm/Karlberg
• Military Academy Östersund (MHS Ö) located in Östersund, disbanded 2005-06-16.
• Ground Combat School (MSS) located in Skövde
• Naval Schools (ÖS) located in Karlskrona

Scenery from Vaxholm Vaxholm is a municipality of the Stockholm archipelago in central Sweden. ... Kristinehamn is a Municipality in Värmland County, in west central Sweden. ... Halmstad [hulm-stɑː(d)] is a city in Halland in south-western Sweden. ... Uppsala (older spelling Upsala) 59°51′ N 17°38′ E is a Swedish City in central Sweden, located about 70 km north of Stockholm. ... Eksjö Municipality is a municipality in Jönköping County, in southern Sweden where the town Eksjö (pop. ... Uppsala (older spelling Upsala) 59°51′ N 17°38′ E is a Swedish City in central Sweden, located about 70 km north of Stockholm. ... Karlsborg is a Municipality in Västra Götaland County, in western Sweden. ... Linköping in Sweden Aerial photo of Linköping. ... Halmstad [hulm-stɑː(d)] is a city in Halland in south-western Sweden. ... Linköping in Sweden Aerial photo of Linköping. ... Södertälje [søːdə˘ʈɛljÉ™] is a Municipality in Stockholm County, in central Sweden. ... Enköping is a Municipality in Uppsala County, in east central Sweden. ... Halmstad [hulm-stɑː(d)] is a city in Halland in south-western Sweden. ... Halmstad [hulm-stɑː(d)] is a city in Halland in south-western Sweden. ... The Old town in Stockholm from the air is the capital of Sweden, located on the south east coast of Sweden. ... Östersund Municipality  listen? is a municipality in the middle of Sweden where the city Östersund is the seat with a population of 43,536. ... Skövde is a Swedish city in Västergötland in Sweden, located at 58°23′N 13°51′E. It has 32,500 inhabitants, with 50,000 in the municipal area. ... Karlskrona is a city in south-eastern Sweden. ...

Centres

• Armed Forces War Case Centre (FKSC) located in Stockholm
• Armed Forces Medical Centre (FSC) located in Göteborg
• Air Medicine Centre (FMC) located in Stockholm
• Armed Forces Logistics (FMLOG) located in Karlstad, Boden, Karlskrona and Arboga
• Armed Forces Intelligence and Security Centre (FMUndSäkC) located in Uppsala
• Armed Forces Musical Centre (FöMusC) located in Strängnäs
• Joint Forces Command (OPIL) with Army, Air and Naval Tactical Commands (ATK, FTK and MTK) located in Stockholm and Uppsala
• Recruitment Centre (RekryC) located in Stockholm
• Total Defense Protection Centre (SkyddC) located in Umeå
• Swedish EOD and Demining Centre (SWEDEC) located in Eksjö
• Swedish Armed Forces International Centre (Swedint) located in Stockholm/Kungsängen

The Old town in Stockholm from the air is the capital of Sweden, located on the south east coast of Sweden. ... Gothenburg (Swedish: Göteborg  listen? ) is a city and a municipality on the western coast of Sweden, in the County of Västra Götaland. ... The Old town in Stockholm from the air is the capital of Sweden, located on the south east coast of Sweden. ... Karlstad [kɑːɭstɑː(d)] is a City and Municipality in Värmland County, in mid-western Sweden. ... Boden is a Municipality in Norrbotten County, in northern Sweden. ... Karlskrona is a city in south-eastern Sweden. ... Arboga is a Municipality in Västmanland County, in central Sweden. ... Uppsala (older spelling Upsala) 59°51′ N 17°38′ E is a Swedish City in central Sweden, located about 70 km north of Stockholm. ... Strängnäs is a Municipality in Södermanland County, in central Sweden, located by Lake Mälaren. ... The Old town in Stockholm from the air is the capital of Sweden, located on the south east coast of Sweden. ... Uppsala (older spelling Upsala) 59°51′ N 17°38′ E is a Swedish City in central Sweden, located about 70 km north of Stockholm. ... The Old town in Stockholm from the air is the capital of Sweden, located on the south east coast of Sweden. ... UmeÃ¥ (IPA: ˘ʉmÉ™oː – ) is a city and municipality in the county of Västerbotten, Sweden. ... Eksjö Municipality is a municipality in Jönköping County, in southern Sweden where the town Eksjö (pop. ... The Old town in Stockholm from the air is the capital of Sweden, located on the south east coast of Sweden. ...

Government agencies reporting to the Ministry of Defence

Main article: Government agencies in Sweden The Government agencies in Sweden are state controlled organizations who act independently to carry out the policies of the Swedish Government. ...

• Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, or Försvarets materielverk (FMV) external link
• Swedish National Service Administration, or Pliktverket
• Swedish National Defence College, or Försvarshögskolan
• Swedish National Defence Radio Establishment, or Försvarets radioanstalt (FRA) external link

• Swedish Defence Research Agency, or Totalförsvarets forskningsinstitut (FOI) external link
• Swedish Coast Guard, or Kustbevakningen
• Swedish Emergency Management Agency, or Krisberedskapsmyndigheten external link
• Swedish Rescue Services Agency, or Räddningsverket
• Swedish National Board of Psychological Defence, or Styrelsen för psykologiskt försvar external link

The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (Försvarets materielverk, FMV) is a Swedish government agency that reports to the Ministry of Defence. ... The Swedish National Defence Radio Establishment, or Försvarets Radioanstalt (FRA) is a Swedish signals intelligence (SIGINT) agency. ... The Swedish Rescue Services Agency, or Räddningsverket, is the central supervisory government authority for the rescue services in Sweden. ...

Voluntary Defence Organizations

• Swedish Home Guard (Hemvärnet)
• Lottorna (Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Service)

The Swedish Home Guard (Swedish: Hemvärnet) is a part of the Swedish Armed Forces. ... Lottorna (Riksförbundet Sveriges lottakårer) or Swedish Womens Voluntary Defence Service, is an auxiliary defence organization in the Swedish Home Guard, a part of the Swedish Armed Forces. ...

See also

• Swedish Army Rank Insignia
• Government of Sweden
• Society and Defense
• Scandinavian defense union
• Per Albin Line
• List of Swedish wars
• List of Swedish Field Marshals
• List of Swedish military commanders
• List of Swedish monarchs
• List of Swedish regiments
• List of military aircraft of Sweden

Officer Insignia Enlisted Insignia Categories: | ... Sweden is a constitutional monarchy with a representative democracy based on a parliamentary system. ... Society and Defense or Folk och Försvar is a Swedish non-governmental organization which acts as a forum for debate over defense and national security issues in Sweden. ... A Scandinavian defense union that would include Sweden, Norway and Denmark was planned between the three countries after World War II. Denmark and Norway had been occupied by Germany between 1940 and 1945, while Sweden, having escaped the horrors of occupation it had, still felt the effects of the war. ... The Per Albin Line was a 500 kilometer long line of fortifications erected during World War II around the coast of southern Sweden to protect the country from a possible German invasion. ... This is a list of wars fought by Sweden between 1521 and 1814: The Swedish War of Liberation or Befrielsekriget (1521-1523) The Armstice of Gotland (1524) The Recess of Malmö (1524) The Danish Counts Feud or Danska Grevefejden (1534-1536) The Armstice of Copenhagen (1537) The Great Russian... This is a list of the 78 Field Marshals of Sweden, with their respective years of appointment, from the 16th to the 20th century. ... This is a list of Swedish military commanders. ... This is a list of Swedish monarchs, that is, the Kings and ruling Queens of Sweden with Regents and Viceroys of the Kalmar Union up until the present time. ... This is a list of Swedish regiments and other military units (divisions, brigades, battalions, companies) that have existed since the 16th century. ... This is a list of Swedish military aircraft since its start. ...

References

• CIA World Factbook 2001

World Factbook 2004 cover The World Factbook is an annual publication by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States with basic almanac-style information about the various countries of the world. ...

External links

• Swedish Armed Forces - Official site ((English))
• Swedish Army - Official site ((Swedish))
• Swedish Air Force - Official site ((Swedish))
• Swedish Navy - Official site ((Swedish))
• Svante Wendel's Unofficial Royal Swedish Army page ((Swedish))
• kamouflage.net: online index of camouflage uniforms from around the world ((English))
  • kamouflage.net > Europe > Sweden (Kingdom of Sweden) > index

Swedish Armed Forces
Army	Navy	Air Force	Home Guard