Swedish Armed Forces

The Swedish Armed Forces, or Frsvarsmakten, is a Government agency responsible for the peacetime operation of the armed forces of Sweden. The primary long time task of the agency is to prepare for the defense of the country in the event of war, with the short term task of training and deploying peace support forces abroad. 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 (verbeflhavaren, B), the most senior officer in the country.
Swedish Armed Forces
Military manpower
Military age18 years of age
Availabilitymales age 15-49: 2,062,566 (2001 est.)
Fit for military servicemales age 15-46: 1,802,955 (2001 est.)
Reaching military age annuallymales: 51,506 (2001 est.)
Military expenditures
Dollar figure$5 billion (FY98)
Percent of GDP2.1% (FY98)

Possible enemies

Main enemy in tactical studies 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 are 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 peace support operations, to the point where this has become the main short term goal of training and equipment acquisition. Sweden is a non-aligned country, aiming at remaining neutral in case of proximate war, and therefore not a formal member of NATO or any other military alliance. Its 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.

Current deployments

Currently, Sweden has deployed military forces in Liberia, Afghanistan and Kosovo. Observers from Sweden have been sent to a large number of countries, including Georgia, North Korea and Lebanon.

Training

Officers are trained at the Swedish Armed Forces Military Academy which has establishments at Karlberg Castle outside Stockholm, in Halmstad and in stersund. Conscripts are trained at the different units of the three branches, the purpose of which primarily being training installations and without significant wartime importance.

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. 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.
Army RanksNavy Ranks
SwedishEnglishGermanSwedishEnglishGerman
FltmarskalkField MarshalFeldmarschall Fleet Admiral 
GeneralGeneralGeneralAmiralAdmiralAdmiral
GeneralljtnantLieutenant GeneralGeneralleutnantViceamiralVice AdmiralVizeadmiral
GeneralmajorMajor GeneralGeneralmajorKonteramiralRear AdmiralKonteradmiral
BrigadgeneralBrigadier GeneralBrigadegeneralFlottiljamiralCommodoreFlottillenadmiral
versteColonelOberstKommendrCaptainKapitn zur See
versteljtnantLieutenant ColonelOberstleutnantKommendrkaptenCommanderFregattenkapitn
MajorMajorMajorrlogskaptenLieutenant CommanderKorvettenkapitn
KaptenCaptainHauptmannKaptenLieutenantKapitnleutnant
LjtnantLieutenantOberleutnantLjtnantLieutenant, Junior GradeOberleutnant zur See
FnrikSecond LieutenantLeutnantFnrikEnsignLeutnant zur See
The rank of Brigadier General was introduced in 2001. The rank and the responsibilities associated with it existed before 2001, but all officers were commissioned as "Colonel First Class", or verste av frsta graden, i. e. not a General. The same goes for Flottiljamiral which used to be Kommendr av frsta 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 has been appointed since the 19th century.
Warrant Officer & NCO Ranks
ClassSwedishEnglish
Warrant
Officer
FanjunkareSergeant Major
SergeantMaster Sergeant
NCOverfurirFirst Sergeant
FurirSergeant
KorpralCorporal
PrivateVicekorpralLance Corporal
MenigPrivate
All officers 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, "underbefl", are the non-commissioned officers of the armed forces. Cadet's hold a rank equivalent to that of a WO "Sergeant", but wear different insignia. The ranks of fanjunkare, verfurir and vicekorpral are rarely used in the regular service. They are however used in volunteer and auxiliary forces.

Organization

Branches

Military Districts

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

Schools

Some of the schools listed below answers to other units, listed under the various branches of the Armed Forces.
  • Amphibious Combat School (AmfSS)
  • Artillery Combat School (ArtSS)
  • Army Technical School (ATS)
  • Air Force Uppsala Schools (F 20)
  • Field Work School (FarbS)
  • Air Force Air Officer School (FBS)
  • Parachute Ranger School (FJS)
  • Flight School (FlygS)
  • Armed Forces Halmstad Schools (FMHS)
  • Helicopter Combat School (HkpSS)
  • Home Guard Combat School (HvSS)
  • Command School (LedS)
  • Anti-Aircraft Combat School (LvSS)
  • Military Academy Halmstad (MHS H)
  • Military Academy Karlberg (MHS K)
  • Military Academy stersund (MHS )
  • Ground Combat School (MSS)
  • Naval Schools (S)

Centres

  • Armed Forces War Case Centre (FKSC)
  • Armed Forces Medical Centre (FSC)
  • Air Medicine Centre (FMC)
  • Armed Forces Logistics (FMLOG)
  • Armed Forces Intelligence and Security Centre (FMUndSkC)
    • Located in Ume
  • Armed Forces Musical Centre (FMusC)
  • Operative Command (OPIL) with Army, Air and Naval Tactical Commands (ATK, FTK and MTK)
  • Recruitment Centre (RekryC)
  • Total Defense Protection Centre (SkyddC)
    • Located in Ume
  • Swedish EOD and Demining Centre (SWEDEC)
  • Swedish Armed Forces International Centre (Swedint)

Government agencies reporting to the Ministry of Defence

Main article: Government agencies in Sweden

Voluntary Defence Organizations

See also

References

External links

Armed Forces Armed Forces Sweden

 

<< PreviousWord BrowserNext >>
socialism
list of sporting events
sabine river (texas louisiana)
sport
seed beads
synergy
syntax
shamanism
sexology
list of leaders of the soviet union
seafood
si base unit
second
si prefix
si supplementary unit
si derived unit
scientology
stud poker
split (poker)
superconductivity
geography of sweden
demographics of sweden
government of sweden
economy of sweden
communications in sweden
transportation in sweden
foreign relations of sweden
spice
sect
spearmint
sage
savory (herb)
solar system
silurian
siege
semantic dispute
social engineering
saint lawrence seaway
silvio berlusconi
sega
sprung rhythm
sapindales
solanales
sheepshead