The Defence Act of 1925 was a

defence act Defence Act is a stock short title used in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the United Kingdom for legislation relating to territorial defence. List Australia *The Defence (Citizen Military Forces) Act 1943 New Zealand *The Defence Act 1886 ...

passed by the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

Riksdag The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...

on 26 May 1925 and came into force on 1 January 1928. The Act specified how the

Swedish Armed Forces The Swedish Armed Forces ( sv, Försvarsmakten, "the Defense Force") is the government agency that forms the armed forces of Sweden, tasked with the defense of the country as well as with promoting Sweden's wider interests, supporting internati ...

would operate during the coming years. The Act resulted in a policy of

disarmament Disarmament is the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing weapons. Disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. Disarmament is often taken to mean total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, such as n ...

. The Act would remain effective until the Defence Act of 1936. The new order of battle meant that the number of Army Divisions was decreased to 4. 17 military units were disbanded and conscription time was lowered to 140 days for most conscripts. Many conscripts were transferred to the Army Reserve. The Army and Naval air powers were combined into the Swedish Air Force.

Background

The Edén Cabinet had in 1919 started an investigation into the Swedish Armed Forces in order to lower the high defence expenditure the Defence Act of 1914 had resulted in. The investigation concluded in 1923 and the right-wing majority had decided on an expenditure cap of 120 million Swedish crowns per year, 62 million less than the Defence Act of 1914 stipulated. The political parties all made differing judgements on how large of a war force Sweden needed. The political right claimed that

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

represented a long-term threat to Sweden, and that Russia's political and economic troubles during the 1920s were just temporary. They also believed - due to Sweden's entry in to the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

- that the risk of Sweden being dragged in to war had increased. The liberal

Free-minded National Association The Free-minded National Association () was a political party in Sweden. The party was in government from 1905 to 1906 and from 1911 to 1914 under the leadership of Karl Staaff, from 1917 to 1920 under the leadership of Nils Edén, from 1926 to 19 ...

referred to the weakened powers of Germany and Russia, the creation of the League of Nations and the war exhaustion that many nations were suffering through as a result of the First World War. The Free-minded had major hopes for international treaties regarding disarmament. The

Social Democrats Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...

predicted a sustained and stable period of peace, which did not motivate a strong defence in order to counter surprise attacks. A war in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

would be preceded by worsened international relations and thus give time for necessary rearmament. The Social Democrats believed that Sweden only needed to maintain neutrality in order to deflect foreign aggression. The proposition on a future defence encountered multiple setbacks during its discussion in the Riksdag, but in 1925, the Social Democratic

Sandler Cabinet Sandler ( yi, סאנדלער, lit=sandalmaker) is a Yiddish family name. A rarer variant is Sendler. Notable people * Adam Sandler (born 1966), American actor and comedian * Barry Sandler (born 1947), American screenwriter and film producer * B ...

agreed to a mainly Freeminder-backed proposal which involved a further decreased expenditure cap of 107 million crowns per year, equivalent to roughly 1,3 % of the Swedish GDP.

Reorganisation

; Army * The number of Army divisions was reduced from six to four. * The Cavalry was reduced from 50 to 12 companies, * the Infantry was reduced from 364 to 122 companies; * every infantry regiment had their third battalion dissolved. * The Army Service Troops were reduced from 18 to 12 companies. * The Engineering Troops were reduced from 32 to 22 companies. * The amount of supply companies was reduced from four to three companies. * Two armoured companies were established at Göta Life Guards (I 2). ; Navy The construction of new ships was cut which resulted in the older ships not being replaced. In 1927, the Navy was starting to focus on lighter units in order to outnumber the heavier armoured cruisers. ; Coastal artillery The inner lines at

Vaxholm Fortress Vaxholm Fortress ( sv, Vaxholms fästning) is a historic fortification on the island of Vaxholmen in the Stockholm archipelago just east of the Swedish town of Vaxholm. The fortress is accessed by the Kastellet ferry, an electrically powered ca ...

Älvsborg Fortress Älvsborg Fortress ( sv, Älvsborgs fästning), with its main facility Oscar II's Fort ( sv, Oscar II:s fort) built 1899–1907, is a now-defunct Swedish fortification located at the mouth of the Göta River in the Älvsborg district of Gothen ...

and Hemsö Fortress were returned to storage and the

Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment The Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment ( sv, Älvsborgs kustartilleriregemente), designation KA 4, was a Swedish Navy coastal artillery regiment of the Swedish Armed Forces which operated between 1942 and 2000. The unit was based in Gothenburg ...

(KA 3), Hörningsholm Fortress and Luleå Coastal Position were dissolved. ; Army and naval air forces The Swedish Air Force is formed as a separate military branch, through a merge of the air forces of the Army and Navy, consisting of 57 aircraft.

Disbanded military units

Many units which remained received new unit designations, i.e. the Northern Småland Regiment became I 12. *A 5 –

Uppland Artillery Regiment Uppland Artillery Regiment ( sv, Upplands artilleriregemente), designation A 5, was a Swedish Army artillery unit which operated between 1894 and 1927. The unit was based in Uppsala Garrison in Uppsala, Sweden. History Uppland Artillery Regiment ...

*A 9 – Positional Artillery Regiment *I 2 – Göta Life Guards *I 4 – 1st Life Grenadier Regiment *I 5 – 2nd Life Grenadier Regiment *I 6 –

Västgöta Regiment The Västgöta Regiment ( sv, Västgöta regemente), also I 6, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. It was converted from a cavalry regiment in 1811 and disbanded in 1927. The regiment's soldiers ...

*I 7 – Karlskrona Grenadier Regiment *I 12 –

Jönköping Regiment The Jönköping Regiment ( sv, Jönköpings regemente), designation I 12, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. It was merged with another unit to form a new regiment in 1927. The regiment's soldier ...

*I 18 –

Västmanland Regiment The Västmanland Regiment ( sv, Västmanlands regemente), designations I 18 and Fo 48, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. It was disbanded for the first time in 1927 but later reraised and disb ...

*I 21 –

Kalmar Regiment The Kalmar Regiment ( sv, Kalmar regemente), designations I 20, I 21 and Fo 18, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. It was merged with another unit to form a new regiment in 1928. It was later rer ...

*I 26 –

Vaxholm Grenadier Regiment Vaxholm Grenadier Regiment ( sv, Vaxholms grenadjärregemente), also I 26, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that was active in various forms 1902–1927. The unit was based on Rindö in Vaxholm. History The Vaxholm Grenadier Regiment was fo ...

*Int 4 – Sollefteå Supply Company *K 1 –

Life Guards of Horse Life Guards of Horse ( sv, Livgardet till häst, K 1) was a Swedish Army cavalry regiment, first raised in 1770. It saw service for two centuries, before being amalgamated with the Life Regiment Dragoons (K 2) to form the Life Regiment of Horse ( ...

*K 2 –

Life Regiment Dragoons The Life Regiment Dragoons ( sv, Livregementets dragoner), designated K 2, was a Swedish Army cavalry regiment that was active in various forms 1791–1927. The unit was based in the Stockholm Garrison in Stockholm and belonged to the King's Life ...

*K 4 – Småland Hussar Regiment *K 5 –

Scanian Hussar Regiment The Scanian Hussar Regiment ( sv, Skånska husarregementet, K 5) was a Swedish Army cavalry unit which operated in various forms the years 1658–1709 and 1709–1927. Commanding officers Regimental commanders from 1658 to 1927. *1658–1659: ...

*K 6 – Scanian Dragoon Regiment *K 7 –

Crown Prince's Hussar Regiment The Crown Prince's Hussar Regiment ( sv, Kronprinsens husarregemente), designated K 7, was a Swedish Army cavalry regiment located in the province of Scania that traced its origins back to the 18th century. It had a number of names over its his ...

*T 5 – Västmanland Logistic Corps *T 6 – Östgöta Logistic Corps

Established military units

*F 1 – First Air Corps *F 2 – Second Air Corps *F 3 – Third Air Corps *F 4 – Fourth Air Corps *F 5 –

Swedish Air Force Flying School Swedish Air Force Flying School ( sv, Krigsflygskolan), also F 5 Ljungbyhed, or simply F 5, is a former Swedish Air Force training wing with the main base located in Ljungbyhed in southern Sweden. History The moor at Ljungby was adopted for milit ...

*I 2 – Göta Life Guards *I 4 – Life Grenadier Regiment *I 12 – Jönköping-Kalmar Regiment *K 1 – Life Regiment of Horse *K 2 – Scanian Cavalry Regiment

Remaining military units

The Act meant that the Swedish Army in peace time were to consist of the following units from 1 January 1928. One of the major changes was that the infantry regiments were to only consist of two battalions instead of three.

Infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

Svea Life Guards The Svea Life Guards ( sv, Svea livgarde), also I 1, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that was active in various forms 1521–2000. The unit was based in the Stockholm Garrison in Stockholm and belonged to the King's Life and Household Tro ...

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

* Göta Life Guards, Stockholm *

Life Regiment Grenadiers Life Regiment Grenadiers ( sv, Livregementets grenadjärer), also I 3, was a Swedish Army infantry unit that was active in various forms 1815–2000. The unit was based in Örebro Garrison in Örebro and belonged to the King's Life and Household T ...

Örebro Örebro ( , ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, sixth-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Örebro Municipality, and capital of the Örebro County. It is situated by the Närke Plain, near the lake Hjälmaren, a few kilometers in ...

* Life Grenadier Regiment, Linköping *

Uppland Regiment The Uppland Regiment ( sv, Upplands regemente), designation I 8, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. It was disbanded in 1957. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the province ...

Uppsala Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inha ...

* Skaraborg Regiment,

Skövde Skövde () is a locality and urban centre in Skövde Municipality and Västra Götaland County, in the Västergötland (Western Gothland region) in central Southern Sweden. Skövde is situated some 150 km northeast of Gothenburg, between Swe ...

* Södermanland Regiment,

Strängnäs Strängnäs is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Strängnäs Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 15,363 inhabitants in 2020. It is located by Lake Mälaren and is the episcopal see of the Diocese of Strängnäs, one of t ...

Kronoberg Regiment The Kronoberg Regiment ( sv, Kronobergs regemente), designations I 11 and I 11/Fo 16, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. It was disbanded in 1997. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruit ...

Växjö Växjö ( ) is a city and the seat of Växjö Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden. It had 70,489 inhabitants (2019) out of a municipal population of 95,995 (2021). It is the administrative, cultural, and industrial centre of Kronoberg County ...

* Jönköping-Kalmar Regiment,

Eksjö Eksjö is a locality and the seat of Eksjö Municipality in Jönköping County, Sweden, with 9,701 inhabitants in 2010. History The city of Eksjö most likely appeared sometime in the Middle Ages when it was the centre for the '' thing'', a regi ...

Dalarna Regiment The Dalarna Regiment ( sv, Dalregementet), designation I 13, is a Swedish Army infantry unit that traced its origins back to the 16th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the province of Dalarna, where it was later gar ...

Falun Falun () is a city and the seat of Falun Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 37,291 inhabitants in 2010. It is also the capital of Dalarna County. Falun forms, together with Borlänge, a metropolitan area with just over 100,000 inhabita ...

Hälsinge Regiment The Hälsinge Regiment ( sv, Hälsinge regemente), designations I 14, I 14/Fo 49 and I 14/Fo 21, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. It was disbanded in 1997. The regiment's soldiers were original ...

Gävle Gävle () is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 77,586 inhabitants in 2020, which makes it the 13th most populated city in Sweden. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland (Swede ...

Älvsborg Regiment The Älvsborg Regiment ( sv, Älvsborgs regemente), designation I 15 and I 15/Fo 34, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traces its origins back 1624. It was disbanded in 1998. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the prov ...

Borås Borås ( , , ) is a city (officially, a locality) and the seat of Borås Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 66,273 inhabitants in 2010. Geography Borås is located at the point of two crossing railways, among them the ...

Halland Regiment The Halland Regiment ( sv, Hallands regemente), designations I 16 and I 16/Fo 31, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the provinces of Väste ...

Halmstad Halmstad () is a port, university, industrial and recreational city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Socia ...

Bohuslän Regiment The Bohuslän Regiment ( sv, Bohusläns regemente), designation I 17, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traces its origins back 1661. It was disbanded in 1992. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the provinces of Bohu ...

Uddevalla Uddevalla (old no, Oddevold) is a town and the seat of Uddevalla Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. In 2015, it had a population of 34 781. It is located at a bay of the south-eastern part of Skagerrak. The beaches of Uddevalla are ...

Norrbotten Regiment The Norrbotten Regiment ( sv, Norrbottens regemente), designation I 19, is a Swedish Army arctic armoured, light infantry and commando regiment that traces its origins back to the 19th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited fr ...

, Boden *

Västerbotten Regiment The Västerbotten Regiment ( sv, Västerbottens regemente), designations I 19, I XIX, I 20 and I 20/Fo 61, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited fr ...

Umeå Umeå ( , , , locally ; South Westrobothnian: ;). fi, Uumaja; sju, Ubmeje; sma, Upmeje; se, Ubmi) is a city in northeast Sweden. It is the seat of Umeå Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County. Situated on the Ume River, Ume� ...

Värmland Regiment The Värmland Regiment ( sv, Värmlands regemente), designations I 22, I 2 and I 2/Fo 52, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traces its origins back to the 16th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the province o ...

Karlstad Karlstad (, ) is the 20th-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Karlstad Municipality, the capital of Värmland County, and the largest city in the province Värmland in Sweden. The city proper had 65,856 inhabitants in 2020 with 95,167 inhabitants ...

* Jämtland Ranger Regiment,

Östersund Östersund (; sma, Staare) is an urban area (city) in Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth-largest lake, Storsjön, ...

* North Scanian Infantry Regiment,

Kristianstad Kristianstad (, ; older spelling from Danish language, Danish ''Christianstad'') is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Kristianstad Municipality, Scania County, Sweden with 40,145 inhabitants in 2016. During the last 15 years, it has ...

South Scanian Infantry Regiment South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

Ystad Ystad (; older da, Ysted) is a town and the seat of Ystad Municipality, in Scania County, Sweden. Ystad had 18,350 inhabitants in 2010. The settlement dates from the 11th century and has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre, a ...

Västernorrland Regiment The Västernorrland Regiment ( sv, Västernorrlands regemente), designation I 21, is a Swedish Army infantry unit which operated in various forms the years 1869–1983, 1991–2000 and from 2022. It is located in Sollefteå Garrison in Sollefteå ...

Sollefteå Sollefteå () is a locality and the seat of Sollefteå Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden with 8,562 inhabitants in 2010. The earliest written account on Sollefteå is found in a script dating back to 1270. During this time the name o ...

* Gotland Infantry Corps,

Visby Visby () is an urban area in Sweden and the seat of Gotland Municipality in Gotland County on the island of Gotland with 24,330 inhabitants . Visby is also the episcopal see for the Diocese of Visby. The Hanseatic city of Visby is arguably th ...

Artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

Svea Artillery Regiment The Svea Artillery Regiment ( sv, Svea artilleriregemente), designation A 1, was a Swedish Army artillery regiment that traced its origins back to the 17th century. It was disbanded in 1997. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from S ...

, Stockholm *

Göta Artillery Regiment The Göta Artillery Regiment ( sv, Göta artilleriregemente), designation A 2, was a Swedish Army artillery regiment that traced its origins back to the 17th century. It was disbanded in 1962. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited fro ...

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

Wendes Artillery Regiment The Wendes Artillery Regiment ( sv, Wendes artilleriregemente), designation A 3, was a Swedish Army artillery regiment that traced its origins back to the 17th century. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from Scania, where it was ...

* Norrland Artillery Corps,

* Gotland Artillery Corps,

Norrbotten Artillery Corps Norrbotten Artillery Corps ( sv, Norrbottens artillerikår), designation A 5, was a Swedish Army artillery unit which operated between 1928 and 1951. The unit was based in Boden Garrison in Boden, Sweden. History On 1 April 1910, the Norrbotten ...

, Boden * Army Artillery Regiment,

Jönköping Jönköping (, ) is a city in southern Sweden with 112,766 inhabitants (2022). Jönköping is situated on the southern shore of Sweden's second largest lake, Vättern, in the province of Småland. The city is the seat of Jönköping Municipali ...

* Anti-Air Artillery Regiment,

Karlsborg Karlsborg (, outdatedly ) is a locality and the seat of Karlsborg Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 3,551 inhabitants in 2010. This garrison town lies at the shore of lake Vättern in Västergötland. History The town of Karl ...

* Boden Artillery Regiment, Boden

Supply Troops

First Supply Company First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number 1 (number), one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, D ...

* Second Supply Company,

* Third Supply Company, Boden

Engineer Troops

* Svea Engineer Corps,

* Göta Engineer Corps,

* Boden Engineer Regiment, Boden *

Field Telegraph Corps Field Telegraph Corps ( sv, Fälttelegrafkåren), designation Ing 3, was a Swedish engineering unit within the Swedish Armed Forces which served in various forms between 1902 and 1937. The main part of the unit was located in the Stockholm Garris ...

Service Troops

* Svea Logistic Corps,

Linköping Linköping () is a city in southern Sweden, with around 105,000 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Church ...

* Göta Logistic Corps,

* Norrland Logistic Corps,

* Scanian Logistic Corps,

Hässleholm Hässleholm (older da, Hasselholm) is a locality and the seat of Hässleholm Municipality, Scania County, Sweden with 18,500 inhabitants in 2010. Overview Hässleholm was gradually developed from 1860 in connection with the construction of the ...

Cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

* Life Regiment of Horse,

Life Regiment Hussars The Life Regiment Hussars ( sv, Livregementets husarer; designated K 3) is one of the world's oldest regiments still active. The regiment descends directly from units set up by King Gustav I of Sweden (Gustav Vasa) in 1536, when Sweden set ...

* Scanian Cavalry Regiment,

Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , , ) is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and ninth-largest in Sweden, with a population of 113,816 (2020). Helsingborg is the cent ...

Norrland Dragoon Regiment The Norrland Dragoon Regiment ( sv, Norrlands dragonregemente), also K 4, is a Swedish Army unit specialized in arctic warfare and special operations. Located in the province of Lappland, it was historically a cavalry unit that traces its orig ...

References

Notes

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