Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Mats Evald Nilsson (born 30 December 1956) is a

Swedish Air Force The Swedish Air Force ( sv, Svenska flygvapnet or just ) is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. History The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the es ...

officer. He served as

Inspector General of the Air Force Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

from 2000 to 2002, as head of the Joint Forces Directorate from 2002 to 2007 and as Chief of Defence Staff in 2007. Nilsson is currently serving as the First Marshal of the Court since 2012.

Early life

Nilsson was born in

Västerås Västerås ( , , ) is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Mälaren, Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland, west of Stockholm. The city had a population of 127,799 at the end of 2019, out of the municipal total of 154,049. Västerås ...

, Sweden and grew up in

Lomma Lomma () is a locality and the seat of Lomma Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden. In 2020 it had 13,772 inhabitants. History Lomma was mentioned in a deed of Cnut the great under the name ''Lumaby'' in the year 1085. Skåne's cultural centre ...

Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...

, having moved there with his parents when he was three years old. Nilsson started

gliding Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is al ...

when he was 15-year-old. Nilsson was also a talented high school student, and as such also an exchange student in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. At this time he was thinking of becoming a pediatrician or a chef. Back in Sweden, Nilsson 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 ...

'' at Katedralskolan in

Lund Lund (, , ) is a city in the southern Swedish provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, across the Øresund, Öresund strait from Copenhagen. The town had 91,940 inhabitants out of a municipal total of 121,510 . It is the seat of Lund Municipali ...

in 1976 and was supposed to do his

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require a ...

in Karlskrona Coastal Artillery Regiment (KA 2) in

Karlskrona Karlskrona (, , ) is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with a population of 66,675 in 2018. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to Swed ...

but instead, two weeks after graduation from Katedralskolan, he enrolled at the

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 ...

Ljungbyhed Ljungbyhed is a urban areas of Sweden, locality situated in Klippan Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden, with 2,046 inhabitants in 2010. History Ljungbyhed was and is located in Riseberga ''socken'' and was part of the Riseberga ''landskommun'' af ...

Career

After becoming an officer at an official exam at

Uppland Wing Uppland () is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. On the small uninhabi ...

(F 16), Nilsson learned to fly the

Saab 37 Viggen The Saab 37 Viggen (Swedish for ''"the Bolt"'' or ''"the Tufted Duck"'' ( see name)) is a retired Swedish single-seat, single-engine, short-medium range combat aircraft. Development work on the type was initiated at Saab in 1952 and, following ...

Hälsinge Wing Hälsinge Wing ( sv, Hälsinge flygflottilj), also F 15 Söderhamn, or simply F 15, is a former Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located near Söderhamn in northern Sweden. Heraldry and traditions Coat of arms The first coat of arms ...

(F 15) in

Söderhamn Söderhamn is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Söderhamn Municipality, Gävleborg County, Sweden with 11,761 inhabitants in 2010. Sports The biggest local sport is bandy. Broberg/Söderhamn Bandy play in the highest division E ...

, before transferring in 1979 to

Blekinge Wing Blekinge Wing ( sv, Blekinge flygflottilj), also F 17 Kallinge, or simply F 17, is a Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located near Ronneby in southern Sweden. It is one of the three remaining wings in Sweden and currently has two squ ...

(F 17) near

Ronneby Ronneby is a locality and the seat of Ronneby Municipality in Blekinge County, Sweden with 12,029 inhabitants in 2010. Ronneby is regarded as the heart of "the Garden of Sweden", and in 2005 the park "Brunnsparken" in Ronneby was voted Sweden's m ...

. There he served as a Tactical Reconnaissance Pilot and flew Saab 37 Viggen as a lieutenant. Nilsson was stationed in

Blekinge Blekinge (, old da, Bleking) is one of the traditional Swedish provinces (), situated in the southern coast of the geographic region of Götaland, in southern Sweden. It borders Småland, Scania and the Baltic Sea. It is the country's second ...

when the Soviet submarine ''U 137'' ran aground on 27 October 1981 southeast of

. In 1982, Nilsson transferred to

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 ...

to become a test pilot at

Defence Materiel Administration The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration ( sv, Försvarets materielverk, FMV) is a Swedish government agency that reports to the Ministry of Defence. The agency is responsible for the supply of materiel to the Swedish defence organisation. I ...

's Swedish Center for Experimental Research (''Försökscentralen'', FC) at Malmen Airbase. He then completed the General Course at the Swedish Armed Forces Staff College from 1983 to 1984 and the young captain's success was rewarded with pilot training at the

United States Naval Test Pilot School The United States Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS), located at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River in Patuxent River, Maryland, provides instruction to experienced United States Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, and foreign military experi ...

at the

Naval Air Station Patuxent River Naval Air Station Patuxent River , also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States naval air station located in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River. It is home to Headquarters, Naval Air Sys ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

from 1984 to 1985, where he finished first in his class. During his career, Nilsson has tested 35 different aircraft types, Swedish and foreign, including, among others

F-16 Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful ...

F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twinjet, twin-engine, supersonic aircraft, supersonic, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, ...

and the

Sukhoi Su-30 The Sukhoi Su-30 (russian: Сухой Су-30; NATO reporting name: Flanker-C/G/H) is a twin-engine, two-seat supermaneuverable fighter aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. It is a multirole fighte ...

. He left Linköping in 1991 after nine years and then completed the Higher Course at the Swedish Armed Forces Staff College from 1991 to 1993. Nilsson then served in the Air Staff's Coordination Department in

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 ...

from 1993 to 1995 and as chief of flight operations at

(F 16) near

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 ...

from 1995 to 1997 as well as commanding officer of the wing from 1997 to 1999. In addition to his regular positions, he has also served as '' aide-de-camp'' to King

Carl XVI Gustaf Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. He ascended the throne on the death of his grandfather, Gustaf VI Adolf, on 15 September 1973. He is the youngest child and only son of Prince Gustaf Adolf, Du ...

. In early 2000, Nilsson served as head of the Planning Department of the Joint Operations Command (''Operationsledningen'', OPL) in the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters in Stockholm. Nilsson was appointed

on 30 June 2000 and head of the Air Force Tactical Command. As the air force chief, Nilsson in 2001 launched an open dispute with 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 ...

regarding the disbandments of air force wings. He left the position of Inspector General of the Air Force on 1 December 2002 and took charge of the Joint Forces Directorate (''Krigsförbandsledningen'') in the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters. He was at the same time promoted to lieutenant general. Nilsson later served as the Chief of Training & Development (''Produktionschef'') and as Chief of Defence Staff where he was replaced by

Sverker Göranson Sverker John Olof Göranson (born 3 May 1954) is a Swedish Army general with an armoured forces background. In 1995, he was the chief of staff of the Nordic battalion within UNPROFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav Wars. Göranson w ...

on 1 November 2007. On 18 October 2007, Nilsson was appointed head of the Unit for Military Defense in the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

, the unit which prepares cases and questions on planning, managing and monitoring the military defense's tasks, ability, and operations. Nilsson was appointed First Marshal of the Court on 1 January 2012, in charge of planning the

Swedish royal family The Swedish royal family ( sv, Svenska kungafamiljen) since 1818 has consisted of members of the Swedish Royal House of Bernadotte, closely related to the King of Sweden. Today those who are recognized by the government are entitled to royal ti ...

's official program and representation.

Personal life

In 1987, Nilsson married Anna, a nurse, and together they have two children.

Dates of rank

Nilsson's dates of rank: *1979 –

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 ...

*1982 –

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 ...

*1987 –

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 ...

*1994 –

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 ...

*1995 –

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 ...

*1997 –

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

*2000 –

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 ...

*2002 –

Awards and decorations

Swedish

H. M. The King's Medal, 12th size gold (silver-gilt) medal worn around the neck on the Order of the Seraphim ribbon (2017)

Foreign

FIN_Order_of_the_White_Rose_Grand_Cross_BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ...

(3 March 2015) * ITA_OMRI_2001_GC_BAR

1st Class / Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking ...

(14 January 2019) * ISL_Icelandic_Order_of_the_Falcon_-_Grand_Cross_BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Falcon The Order of the Falcon ( is, Hin íslenska fálkaorða) is the only order of chivalry in Iceland, founded by King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland on 3 July 1921. The award is awarded for merit for Iceland and humanity and has five degrees. N ...

(17 January 2018) * ISL_Icelandic_Order_of_the_Falcon_-_Grand_Knight_BAR

Grand Knight's Cross of the

(24 November 1998)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nilsson, Mats 1956 births Living people Swedish Air Force lieutenant generals People from Västerås Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences