Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

Dag Gustaf Christer Arvas (22 September 1913 – 1 February 2004) was a

Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps (). In Swedish, vessels o ...

officer. Arvas senior commands include Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, Chief of the

Coastal Fleet The Coastal Fleet ( sv, Kustflottan, Kfl) was until 1994 a Swedish Navy authority with the main task of training the naval ships commanders and crews. After the formation of the authority Swedish Armed Forces in 1994, the Coastal Fleet remained ...

and Chief of the Military Office of the Minister of Defence.

Early life

Arvas was born on 22 September 1913 in

Arvidsjaur Arvidsjaur (; sju, Árviesjávrrie; ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Arvidsjaur Municipality in Norrbotten County, provinces of Sweden, province of Lapland, Sweden, Lapland, Sweden with 4,635 inhabitants in 2010. Arvidsjaur ...

, Sweden, the son of Birger Arvas and his wife Elsa (née Christerson). He passed ''

studentexamen Studentexamen (Swedish for "students' examination" or "students' degree"), earlier also ''mogenhetsexamen'' ("maturity examination") was the name of the university entrance examination in Sweden from the 17th century to 1968. From 1862 to 1968 ...

'' in

Djursholm Djursholm () is one of four suburban districts in, and the seat of Danderyd Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. Djursholm is included in the multi-municipal Stockholm urban area. Djursholm is divided into a number of different areas: Djursh ...

in 1932

Career

Arvas was commissioned as a naval officer in 1935 with the rank of acting sub-lieutenant. He was then on leave one summer for traveling with the Swedish sailing school's ''Kaparen'' in western European waters and he was educated at the Physical Training School (''Gymnastik- och idrottsskolan'', GIS) from 1937 to 1938. Arvas attended the

Royal Swedish Naval Staff College The Royal Swedish Naval Staff College ( sv, Kungliga Sjökrigshögskolan, KSHS) was a Swedish Navy training establishment between 1898 and 1961, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Swedish Navy's staff college, which prov ...

from 1940 to 1942 and served aboard torpedo boats and destroyers. He also served as flag lieutenant (''flaggadjutant'') to the chief of the

from 1945 to 1948. Arvas served as captain of the destroyer from 1950 to 1951 and commander of a destroyer squadron in 1954. He was promoted to lieutenant commander in 1953 and of the 1st rank in 1955. During the years 1946-1953, Arvas was a teacher in parallel with other service at both the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College and the

Royal Swedish Air Force Staff College __NOTOC__ Royal Swedish Air Force Staff College ( sv, Flygkrigshögskolan, FKHS) was established in 1939 and located in Stockholm. It was under the command of the Chief of the Swedish Air Force. From the start, one-year higher courses in staff ser ...

. The land service was characterized by his involvement in the Supreme Commander investigation and in the defense committee in 1955-1958 where the foundation for the light fleet and Navy Plan 60 (''Marinplan 60'') were laid. Arvas served as head of the Operation Department in the Naval Staff from 1955 and as head of the Planning Department from 1958 to 1960 when he was promoted to captain. He then served as commanding officer of the 1st Destroyer Flotilla (''Första jagarflottiljen'') from 1960 to 1961 and as Vice Chief of the Defence Staff from 1961 to 1964. Arvas served as chief of Section 3 in the Naval Staff from 1964 to 1966 when he was promoted to rear admiral. He was then chief of the

from 1966 to 1970, chairman of the

Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences The Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Örlogsmannasällskapet, KÖMS), founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. The Society is an independent organization and a forum for navy and defence i ...

from 1966 to 1969, and chief of the Military Office of the Minister of Defence from 1970 to 1978. After his retirement in 1978 he was, among other things, a special investigator in the 1978 Civil Military Investigation (''1978 års civilmilitärutredning'').

Personal life

In 1939, he married Gunvor Milles, the daughter of Tage Milles and Thora (née Rutensköld). Children: Christer (born 1941) and Stig (born 1944).

Death

Arvas died on 1 February 2004 and was buried in Djursholm's Cemetery on 16 April 2004.

Dates of rank

*1935 –

Acting sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

*1937 –

Sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

*19?? –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

*1953 –

Lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

*1955 –

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

*1960 –

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

*1966 –

Rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

Awards and decorations

Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_Grand_Cross_BAR

Commander Grand Cross of the

Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on February 23, 1748, together with the Or ...

(6 June 1973) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_1st_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

(6 June 1966) * DNK_Kong_Christian_den_Tiendes_frihedsmedaille_ribbon_bar

King Christian X's Liberty Medal King Christian X's Liberty Medal ( da, Kong Christian den Tiendes frihedsmedaille) was a commemorative decoration awarded by King Christian X for special services to Denmark during World War II. Appearance The medal is circular and made of silver. ...

* Officer of the

Order of the Aztec Eagle The Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle ( es, Orden Mexicana del Águila Azteca) forms part of the Mexican Honours System and is the highest Mexican order awarded to foreigners in the country. History It was created by decree on December 29, 193 ...

Hounors

*Honorary member of the

(1954) *Member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Krigsvetenskapsakademien) is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden and was founded on 12 November 1796 by Gustaf Wilhelm af Tibell. The academy is an independent organization and a forum for m ...

(1959)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arvas, Dag 1913 births 2004 deaths Swedish Navy rear admirals People from Arvidsjaur Municipality Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Sword