General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Owe Erik Axel Wiktorin (born 7 May 1940) is a retired
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. Wiktorin was
Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces from 1994 to 2000. His time as Supreme Commander was marked by major cutbacks of the Swedish defense.
Early life
Wiktorin was born on 7 May 1940 in
Motala
Motala () is a locality and the seat of Motala Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 29,823 inhabitants (41,956 in the entire municipality) in 2010. It is the third largest city of Östergötland, following Linköping and Norrköping. M ...
, Sweden, the son of Erik Wiktorin, a chief accountant, and his wife Esther (née Johnson).
Wiktorin was dreaming of becoming a pilot at a young age and he built aircraft models during when growing up in
Askersund
Askersund is a locality and the seat of Askersund Municipality, Örebro County, Sweden with a population census of 3,887 inhabitants in 2010.
Geography
Askersund is a popular tourist destination with swimming and nature experiences. The city c ...
.
He passed his ''
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 1961. 191.5 centimeters tall, Wiktorin was almost too tall for the fighter's cockpits,
but he was accepted and trained as a pilot 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 ...
in
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 ...
from 1961 to 1962 eventually becoming an officer in the
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 ...
in 1964.
Career
Wiktorin was an attack pilot at
Skaraborg Wing
Skaraborg Wing ( sv, Skaraborgs flygflottilj), also F 7 Såtenäs, or simply F 7, is a Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located near Lidköping in south-central Sweden.
History
The decision to set up the air wing was made in 1936, but ...
(F 7) from 1964 to 1969 and attack squadron commander at Skaraborg Wing from 1969 to 1971.
Wiktorin studied the higher course at the
Swedish Armed Forces Staff College and served at the Planning Department at the
Defence Staff from 1971 to 1973.
He then studied at the
Air Command and Staff College
The Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) is located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and is the United States Air Force's intermediate-level Professional Military Education (PME) school. It is a subordinate command of the Air Uni ...
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 ...
from 1979 to 1980.
He was head of the Planning Department at the Defence Staff from 1980 to 1983 and was deputy wing commander at
Jämtland Wing
Jämtland Wing ( sv, Jämtlands flygflottilj), also F 4 Frösön, or simply F 4, is a former Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located at Åre Östersund Airport outside Östersund on Frösön in the middle of Sweden.
History
The airbase ...
(F 4) from 1983 to 1984 and head of Section 1 of the
Air Staff from 1 October 1984 to 1986.
In 1986 he was promoted to major general and was appointed head of the Planning Management in the Defence Staff as well as
Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff The Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff is a senior British military officer who reports to the Chief of the Defence Staff and Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff.
Early Deputy Chiefs of the Defence Staff
These were:
*1957 – 1960 – Lieutenant-Gene ...
.
In 1991 he became lieutenant general and
Chief of the Defence Staff and in 1992 he was appointed military commander 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 ...
(Milo S), taking command on 1 October. On 1 July 1994, he was promoted to general and became
Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces. When Wiktorin became Supreme Commander in 1994, a massive reorganization of the Swedish defense was carried out when 110 defence agencies were coordinated into one with control from the
Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters in Stockholm.
The military also underwent one of its greatest transformations ever, from the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
defence of invasions and major conscript armies to a more downturned flexible response defence.
His time as Supreme Commander was also marked by major cutbacks of the Swedish defense.
Wiktorin stayed in the position of Supreme Commander until 30 June 2000.
In 1985 he became a 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 ...
.
On 2 October 1998, Wiktorin became honorary member number 20 of the Lund Academic Officer Society (''Lunds Akademiska Officerssällskap''). On 6 June 2000 he was awarded the
H. M. The King's Medal of the 12th size in gold with chain "''for outstanding work for the Swedish defense''." Wiktorin was chairman of the Swedish Association for Hunting and Wildlife Management (''Svenska Jägareförbundet'') from 2003 to 2007 and then became an honorary member.
Personal life
In 1965, Wiktorin married in Cajs Gårding (born 1943), the daughter of engineer Folke Gårding and Signe (née Domeij).
Together they have two sons, Martin and Björn.
Dates of rank
*1964 –
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 ...
*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 ...
*19?? –
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 ...
*1975 –
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 ...
*19?? –
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 ...
*1983 –
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 ...
*19?? –
Senior colonel
*1986 –
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 ...
*1991 –
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 ...
*1994 –
General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Awards and decorations
Swedish
*
H. M. The King's Medal, 12th size gold medal worn around the neck on a chain of gold (2000)
*
For Zealous and Devoted Service of the Realm
For Zealous and Devoted Service of the Realm ( sv, För nit och redlighet i rikets tjänst) is a reward medal awarded to one who has been a Swedish State employee for 30 years and has shown "zealous and devoted service". As an alternative to the m ...
*
Home Guard Medal of Merit
*
Swedish Air Force Volunteers Association Medal of Merit
*
Swedish Air Force Volunteers Association Merit Badge
Foreign
*
Grand Cross of the
Order of the Dannebrog
The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...
*
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. ...
*
Commander of the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...
*
2nd Class of the
Order of the Cross of the Eagle
The Order of the Cross of the Eagle ( et, Kotkaristi teenetemärk; french: Ordre de la Croix de l'Aigle) was instituted in 1928 by the Estonian Defence League to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Estonian independence. It was adopted as a st ...
(2 February 2001)
Bibliography
*
*
*
References
Further reading
*
External links
Article on Wiktorin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiktorin, Owe
1940 births
Living people
Swedish Air Force generals
People from Motala Municipality
Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences
20th-century Swedish military personnel
Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Sweden)