| Swedish Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
| Military Force - Fully mobilised | |
| Officers | 4,500 |
| Regular | 18,000 (100,000 trained in the last 10 years) |
| Militia | 37,000 |
| Reserve | 262,000 |
| Total | 321,500 |
| Military Force (within 1 year) | |
| Officers | 2,700 |
| Regular | 7,000 |
| Militia | 37,000 (within hours) |
| Total | 65,500 |
| Military manpower | |
| Military age | 19 years of age |
| Availability | males age 19-49: 1,838,427 females age 19-49: 1,774,659 (2005 est.) |
| Fit for military service | males age 19-49: 1,493,668 females age 19-49: 1,441,257 (2005 est.) |
| Reaching military age annually | males age 18-49: 58,724 females age 19-49: 55,954 (2005 est.) |
| Military expenditures | |
| Dollar figure | $7bn (44.7bn SEK) 2008 |
| Percent of GDP | 1.4% 2008 |
The Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten), is a Government agency responsible for the operation of the armed forces of Sweden. The primary peace time task of the agency is to train and deploy military forces abroad, while maintaining the long-term ability to defend the country in the event of war.
There are three service branches: Army, Air Force and Navy, all reporting to the Supreme Commander (Överbefälhavaren, ÖB) who is, apart from the Sovereign, the highest ranking officer in the country. He, in turn, reports to the Ministry of Defence.
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 been 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, although there are exceptions. 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 Defence Proposition 2004, the number of troops in training will decrease even further to between 5,000 and 10,000 each year, which emphasizes the need to recruit only the soldiers later prepared to volunteer for international service. As of 2007, the government has discussed dropping the peacetime draft altogether.
Today, the total manpower available to the Swedish Armed Forces when fully mobilized is said to consist of about 321,500. This stands in sharp contrast to the 1980s, before the fall of the Soviet Union, when Sweden could gather up to 1,000,000 men when total mobilization had been declared; but the importance placed on defensive spending during the Cold War is perhaps best reflected by the fact that Sweden in the late 1950s ran the world's fourth-largest air force. This is now far from being the case. Indeed, after rapid draw-downs in the mid-to-late 1990s, there are now more admirals and generals in the Swedish Armed Forces force than there are ships and artillery pieces, respectively, for them to command.
As of 2006, wartime placement has been resumed, after being scrapped in 2003. At present Sweden can mobilise a force consisting of 4,500 officers, 18,000 conscripts, 262,000 in the reserve and 37,000 Homeguards National Guard. Full mobilisation is assumed to take one year (although no mobilisation readiness exists), and the formations assumed are of battalion level. Of these, 2,700 officers and 7,000 conscripts are available within months, with the state militias being available within hours
Recently, one of the Swedish Armed Forces' most important tasks was to serve as the lead nation of an EU Battle Group to which Norway, Finland, Estonia and Ireland were also contributing. The Nordic Battle Group (NBG) was on a 10-day deployment readiness during the first half of 2008.
Doctrine
Usually, the adversary in tactical military exercises and scenarios is thought to use equipment from the former Warsaw Pact. A common name for the OPFOR has been "Stormakt Röd" (Great power Red). Although a specific country is rarely mentioned for political reasons, there is a saying in the armed forces, "Fienden kommer alltid österifrån" - "The enemy always comes from the east". Swedish equipment, training, and procedures are NATO interoperable, 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. Sweden aims to have the option of remaining neutral in case of proximate war, and is therefore not a formal member of NATO.Size of the army at mobilization
The table describes briefly what Sweden currently has deployed abroad and may mobilize within one year. Some units may be mobilized faster at R30 and R90. Note. There are currently four training centers that produce mechanized and light mechanized units: LG (Life Guards), P4, P7 and I19.Current deployments
Currently, Sweden has deployed military forces in the sea outside Lebanon, in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Kosovo; further troops have been promised for a French-led EU mission in Chad. Military observers from Sweden have been sent to a large number of countries, including Georgia, North Korea, Lebanon, Israel and Sri Lanka.Training
Officers are trained in the different combat schools and also at the Military Academy Karlberg which has establishments at Karlberg Palace in Stockholm, and in Halmstad. Conscripts are trained at the different units of the three branches.Criticism
There is an ongoing debate as to the level of funding for the Swedish Armed Forces, with the different sides emphasizing the need for a neutral country to be able to defend itself, and the need for a country in peace to direct funding to more pressing matters.Military ranks
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. The last Swedish Field Marshal to be appointed was Johan August Sandels in 1824. The title was retained until 1972 as a wartime award. (It was never used as such practically due to Sweden not being to war since 1814.)
Organization
Branches
- Swedish Army (Armén)
- Swedish Navy (Marinen)
- Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet)
- Swedish Home Guard (Hemvärnet)
Schools
Some of the schools listed below answer to other units, listed under the various branches of the Armed Forces.- Artillery Combat School (ArtSS) located in Boden
- Armed Forces Technical School (FMTS) located in Halmstad
- Air Force Uppsala Schools (LSS) located in Uppsala
- Field Work School (FarbS) located in Eksjö
- Air Force Air Officer School (FBS) located in Uppsala
- Parachute Ranger School (Fallskärmsjägarskolan - FJS) located in Karlsborg
- Flight School (FlygS) located in Linköping/Malmen
- Armed Forces Technical School (FMTS) 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
- Ground Combat School (MSS) located in Kvarn also a detachment in Skövde
- Naval Schools (SSS) located in Karlskrona
Centres
- Armed Forces Medical Centre (FömedC) located in Gothenburg
- Aeromedical Centre (FMC) located in Stockholm
- Armed Forces Logistics (FMLOG) located in Stockholm, Boden, Karlskrona and Arboga
- Armed Forces Intelligence and Security Centre (FMUndSäkC) located in Uppsala
- Armed Forces Musical Centre (FöMusC) located in Stockholm/Kungsängen
- 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
- National CBRN Defense Centre (SkyddC) located in Umeå
- Swedish EOD and Demining Centre (SWEDEC) located in Eksjö
- Swedish Armed Forces International Centre (Swedint) located in Stockholm/Kungsängen
Government agencies reporting to the Ministry of Defence
- 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
Voluntary Defence Organizations
- Swedish Home Guard (Hemvärnet)
- Lottorna (Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Service)
See also
- Swedish Military Ranks
- Government of Sweden
- Society and Defence (Swedish group)
- Scandinavian defence union
- Per Albin Line
- List of Swedish wars
- List of Swedish Field Marshals
- Admiral (Sweden)
- List of Swedish military commanders
- List of Swedish monarchs
- List of Swedish regiments
- List of military aircraft of Sweden
References
http://www.hemvarnet.mil.se/hemvarnet/index.php?c=news&id=30847External links
- Swedish Armed Forces - Official site
- Swedish Army - Official site
- Swedish Air Force - Official site
- Swedish Navy - Official site
- kamouflage.net > Europe > Sweden (Kingdom of Sweden) > index
- SoldF.com A site with some of the equipment that's being used by the Swedish Armed Forces
- Sweden can no longer defend itself
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Sunday October 05, 2008 at 03:01:58 PDT (GMT -0700)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation
| Swedish Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
| Military Force - Fully mobilised | |
| Officers | 4,500 |
| Regular | 18,000 (100,000 trained in the last 10 years) |
| Militia | 37,000 |
| Reserve | 262,000 |
| Total | 321,500 |
| Military Force (within 1 year) | |
| Officers | 2,700 |
| Regular | 7,000 |
| Militia | 37,000 (within hours) |
| Total | 65,500 |
| Military manpower | |
| Military age | 19 years of age |
| Availability | males age 19-49: 1,838,427 females age 19-49: 1,774,659 (2005 est.) |
| Fit for military service | males age 19-49: 1,493,668 females age 19-49: 1,441,257 (2005 est.) |
| Reaching military age annually | males age 18-49: 58,724 females age 19-49: 55,954 (2005 est.) |
| Military expenditures | |
| Dollar figure | $7bn (44.7bn SEK) 2008 |
| Percent of GDP | 1.4% 2008 |
The Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten), is a Government agency responsible for the operation of the armed forces of Sweden. The primary peace time task of the agency is to train and deploy military forces abroad, while maintaining the long-term ability to defend the country in the event of war.
There are three service branches: Army, Air Force and Navy, all reporting to the Supreme Commander (Överbefälhavaren, ÖB) who is, apart from the Sovereign, the highest ranking officer in the country. He, in turn, reports to the Ministry of Defence.
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 been 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, although there are exceptions. 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 Defence Proposition 2004, the number of troops in training will decrease even further to between 5,000 and 10,000 each year, which emphasizes the need to recruit only the soldiers later prepared to volunteer for international service. As of 2007, the government has discussed dropping the peacetime draft altogether.
Today, the total manpower available to the Swedish Armed Forces when fully mobilized is said to consist of about 321,500. This stands in sharp contrast to the 1980s, before the fall of the Soviet Union, when Sweden could gather up to 1,000,000 men when total mobilization had been declared; but the importance placed on defensive spending during the Cold War is perhaps best reflected by the fact that Sweden in the late 1950s ran the world's fourth-largest air force. This is now far from being the case. Indeed, after rapid draw-downs in the mid-to-late 1990s, there are now more admirals and generals in the Swedish Armed Forces force than there are ships and artillery pieces, respectively, for them to command.
As of 2006, wartime placement has been resumed, after being scrapped in 2003. At present Sweden can mobilise a force consisting of 4,500 officers, 18,000 conscripts, 262,000 in the reserve and 37,000 Homeguards National Guard. Full mobilisation is assumed to take one year (although no mobilisation readiness exists), and the formations assumed are of battalion level. Of these, 2,700 officers and 7,000 conscripts are available within months, with the state militias being available within hours
Recently, one of the Swedish Armed Forces' most important tasks was to serve as the lead nation of an EU Battle Group to which Norway, Finland, Estonia and Ireland were also contributing. The Nordic Battle Group (NBG) was on a 10-day deployment readiness during the first half of 2008.
Doctrine
Usually, the adversary in tactical military exercises and scenarios is thought to use equipment from the former Warsaw Pact. A common name for the OPFOR has been "Stormakt Röd" (Great power Red). Although a specific country is rarely mentioned for political reasons, there is a saying in the armed forces, "Fienden kommer alltid österifrån" - "The enemy always comes from the east". Swedish equipment, training, and procedures are NATO interoperable, 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. Sweden aims to have the option of remaining neutral in case of proximate war, and is therefore not a formal member of NATO.Size of the army at mobilization
The table describes briefly what Sweden currently has deployed abroad and may mobilize within one year. Some units may be mobilized faster at R30 and R90. Note. There are currently four training centers that produce mechanized and light mechanized units: LG (Life Guards), P4, P7 and I19.Current deployments
Currently, Sweden has deployed military forces in the sea outside Lebanon, in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Kosovo; further troops have been promised for a French-led EU mission in Chad. Military observers from Sweden have been sent to a large number of countries, including Georgia, North Korea, Lebanon, Israel and Sri Lanka.Training
Officers are trained in the different combat schools and also at the Military Academy Karlberg which has establishments at Karlberg Palace in Stockholm, and in Halmstad. Conscripts are trained at the different units of the three branches.Criticism
There is an ongoing debate as to the level of funding for the Swedish Armed Forces, with the different sides emphasizing the need for a neutral country to be able to defend itself, and the need for a country in peace to direct funding to more pressing matters.Military ranks
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. The last Swedish Field Marshal to be appointed was Johan August Sandels in 1824. The title was retained until 1972 as a wartime award. (It was never used as such practically due to Sweden not being to war since 1814.)
Organization
Branches
- Swedish Army (Armén)
- Swedish Navy (Marinen)
- Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet)
- Swedish Home Guard (Hemvärnet)
Schools
Some of the schools listed below answer to other units, listed under the various branches of the Armed Forces.- Artillery Combat School (ArtSS) located in Boden
- Armed Forces Technical School (FMTS) located in Halmstad
- Air Force Uppsala Schools (LSS) located in Uppsala
- Field Work School (FarbS) located in Eksjö
- Air Force Air Officer School (FBS) located in Uppsala
- Parachute Ranger School (Fallskärmsjägarskolan - FJS) located in Karlsborg
- Flight School (FlygS) located in Linköping/Malmen
- Armed Forces Technical School (FMTS) 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
- Ground Combat School (MSS) located in Kvarn also a detachment in Skövde
- Naval Schools (SSS) located in Karlskrona
Centres
- Armed Forces Medical Centre (FömedC) located in Gothenburg
- Aeromedical Centre (FMC) located in Stockholm
- Armed Forces Logistics (FMLOG) located in Stockholm, Boden, Karlskrona and Arboga
- Armed Forces Intelligence and Security Centre (FMUndSäkC) located in Uppsala
- Armed Forces Musical Centre (FöMusC) located in Stockholm/Kungsängen
- 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
- National CBRN Defense Centre (SkyddC) located in Umeå
- Swedish EOD and Demining Centre (SWEDEC) located in Eksjö
- Swedish Armed Forces International Centre (Swedint) located in Stockholm/Kungsängen
Government agencies reporting to the Ministry of Defence
- 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
Voluntary Defence Organizations
- Swedish Home Guard (Hemvärnet)
- Lottorna (Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Service)
See also
- Swedish Military Ranks
- Government of Sweden
- Society and Defence (Swedish group)
- Scandinavian defence union
- Per Albin Line
- List of Swedish wars
- List of Swedish Field Marshals
- Admiral (Sweden)
- List of Swedish military commanders
- List of Swedish monarchs
- List of Swedish regiments
- List of military aircraft of Sweden
References
http://www.hemvarnet.mil.se/hemvarnet/index.php?c=news&id=30847External links
- Swedish Armed Forces - Official site
- Swedish Army - Official site
- Swedish Air Force - Official site
- Swedish Navy - Official site
- kamouflage.net > Europe > Sweden (Kingdom of Sweden) > index
- SoldF.com A site with some of the equipment that's being used by the Swedish Armed Forces
- Sweden can no longer defend itself
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Sunday October 05, 2008 at 03:01:58 PDT (GMT -0700)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation
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