Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Erik Lennart Rönnberg (21 November 1938 – 25 December 2022) was a

Swedish Army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gustav Vas ...

officer. His senior commands include postings as Chief of the Army Staff and of the

General Staff Corps General Staff Corps ( sv, Generalstabskåren, Gst) was an administrative corps within the Swedish Armed Forces between 1937 and 1990 and consisted of Swedish Army officers chosen for duty in the Defence Staff and Army Staff. It replaced the earlie ...

(1990–1994) and Chief of Staff of the

Middle Military District Middle Military District ( sv, Mellersta militärområdet, Milo M) was a Swedish military district, a command of the Swedish Armed Forces that had operational control over Middle Sweden, for most time of its existence corresponding to the area cov ...

(1994–1995).

Early life

Rönnberg was born on 21 November 1938 in Fjällsjö Parish,

Strömsund Municipality Strömsund Municipality (, ) is a municipality in Jämtland County in northern Sweden. Its seat is located in Strömsund. The nearest larger city is Östersund, the provincial capital of Jämtland, which is located approximately 100 km t ...

, Sweden, the son of Albin Rönnberg and his wife Hilda (née Viklund). Rönnberg became an officer candidate in

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 ...

on 28 August 1960 and he graduated from

Military Academy Karlberg Military Academy Karlberg ( sv, Militärhögskolan Karlberg, MHS K) is a Swedish military academy, since its inauguration in 1792 in operation in the Karlberg Palace in Solna, just north of central Stockholm. It is thus the oldest military academ ...

in 1961.

Career

Rönnberg was commissioned as an officer with then rank second lieutenant and assigned to

on 1 September 1961. He participated in UN operations in the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

with the

United Nations Emergency Force The United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) was a military and peacekeeping operation established by the United Nations General Assembly to secure an end to the Suez Crisis of 1956 through the establishment of international peacekeepers on the bor ...

(UNEF) in 1962 and in

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

with the

United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) is a UN peacekeepers, United Nations peacekeeping force that was established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 186 in 1964 to prevent a recurrence of fighting following Cypr ...

(UNFICYP) in 1964. Rönnberg was promoted to lieutenant on 1 September 1963 and to captain on 1 September 1969. Rönnberg attended the

Swedish Armed Forces Staff College The oyalSwedish Armed Forces Staff College ( sv, Militärhögskolan, MHS) was from 1961 to 1996 the Swedish Armed Forces highest institution for officers training, for staff and senior executive education and was located in Stockholm. In 1997 it ...

in 1971 and he was promoted to major on 1 October 1972. He served as an office head in the Education Department in the Army Staff from 1973 to 1976. Rönnberg attended the

British Army Staff College Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army and the presidency armies of British India (later merged to form the Indian Army). It had its origins in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, founded in 1799, which ...

in 1976 and was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 1 October 1977. He served as head of department in the staff of the

Southern Military District 200px, Headquarters of the district at 53 Pushkinskaya Street / 43 Budenovsky avenue, Rostov-on-Don The Southern Military District (Russian: Южный военный округ) is a military district of Russia. It is one of the five military ...

from 1976 to 1978 and as head of the Planning Department in the Army Staff from 1978 to 1981. Rönnberg attended the

Swedish National Defence College The Swedish Defence University ( sv, Försvarshögskolan, FHS) is situated on Drottning Kristinas väg 37 in Östermalm, Stockholm City Centre, next to the campus of the Royal Institute of Technology. History Today's Swedish Defence University ma ...

in 1981 and served as battalion commander in Västernorrland Regiment from 1981 to 1983. He was promoted to colonel and appointed regimental commander of Västernorrland Regiment on 1 October 1982. On 1 April 1987, Rönnberg was promoted to senior colonel and was appointed military district inspector and head of the Education and Personnel Section in the staff of the

Lower Norrland Military District Lower Norrland Military District ( sv, Nedre Norrlands militärområde, Milo NN), originally II Military District ( sv, II. militärområdet) was a Sweden, Swedish Military district (Sweden), military district, a command of the Swedish Armed Force ...

. On 1 April 1990, Rönnberg was promoted to major general and assumed the position of the last Chief of the Army Staff and of the

. On 1 July 1994, Rönnberg assumed the position of Chief of Staff of the

. Rönnberg then served as head of the Swedish Delegation to the

Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission The Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) was established by the Korean Armistice Agreement signed 27 July 1953, declaring an armistice in the Korean War. It is, with the Military Armistice Commission, part of the mechanism regulating the r ...

(NNSC) from 1 January 1997 to February 1998. Rönnberg was at the disposal of the Chief of Army Command from 1998. Rönnberg retired in 1999.

Personal life

Rönnberg was married between 1967 and 1990 to Iréne Hellman (born 1946), the daughter of P.K. Hellman and Lotten (née Valberg).

Death

Rönnberg died on 25 December 2022 in in

Sundbyberg Municipality Sundbyberg Municipality (''Sundbybergs kommun'' or ''Sundbybergs stad'') is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, just north of the capital Stockholm. Sundbyberg is wholly within the Stockholm urban area and has a 100% urba ...

, Sweden. The funeral service was held on 19 January 2023 in Sundbyberg Church.

Awards and decorations

United Nations Emergency Force Medal The United Nations Emergency Force Medal was a service medal of the United Nations for service in the United Nations Emergency Force between 7 November 1956 and 19 May 1967. History In 1956, Egypt came into conflict with the combined forces of Is ...

(UNEF) *

United Nations Medal A United Nations Medal is an international decoration An international decoration is a military award which is not bestowed by a particular country, but rather by an international organization such as the United Nations or NATO. Such awards ar ...

(

UNFICYP The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) is a United Nations peacekeeping force that was established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 186 in 1964 to prevent a recurrence of fighting following intercommunal violen ...

)

Dates of rank

*1961 –

Second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

*1963 –

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 ...

*1969 –

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 ...

*1972 –

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

*1977 –

Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

*1982 –

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

*1987 – Senior colonel *1990 –

Major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Bibliography

* *

Honours

*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 ...

(1982)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ronnberg, Lennart 1938 births 2022 deaths Swedish Army major generals People from Strömsund Municipality Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences