Pål Henning Jonson (born 30 May 1972) is a

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 ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

of the

Moderate Party The Moderate Party ( sv, Moderata samlingspartiet , ; M), commonly referred to as the Moderates ( ), is a liberal-conservative political party in Sweden. The party generally supports tax cuts, the free market, civil liberties and economic liber ...

. He has served as

Minister for 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 ...

in the cabinet of Ulf Kristersson since 2022.

Biography

Jonson was born on 30 May 1972, in Elgo on the northwestern shore of Lake Glafsfjord (Göta-Älv basin). Parents are farmers Bo Jonson and Marya Jonson. In 1991 he graduated from the sports gymnasium in Luxel. In 1998 he graduated from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, where he studied international politics and received a bachelor's degree. He graduated with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in European politics from the

College of Europe The College of Europe (french: Collège d'Europe) is a post-graduate institute of European studies with its main campus in Bruges, Belgium and a second campus in Warsaw, Poland. The College of Europe in Bruges was founded in 1949 by leading ...

in 1999. In 2005, he completed his Ph.D. in

military science Military science is the study of military processes, institutions, and behavior, along with the study of warfare, and the theory and application of organized coercive force. It is mainly focused on theory, method, and practice of producing mil ...

from

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. From 2000 to 2005, he worked as an analyst at the Swedish Defence Research Institute. From 2005 to 2006, he was the head of the Moderates' office in the European Parliament. From 2006 to 2007, he was a political scientist at the Ministry of Defence of Sweden. From 2007 to 2012 he was a political expert of the Moderate apparatus in the Riksdag. In 2009, he was a visiting researcher at the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

Defense College (NDC). From 2013 to 2016, he was the Communications Director of Säkerhets- och försvarsföretagen (SOFF), a defense and security policy organization. Since 2006 - municipal deputy in

Arvika Arvika is a locality and the seat of Arvika Municipality, Värmland County, Sweden with 14,244 inhabitants in 2010. Geography The town of Arvika is situated at Kyrkviken, a bay of Glafsfjorden, Sweden's only inland fjord, a remnant of the time ...

. From 2010 to 2012 he was the chairman of the Moderates in the county of

Värmland Värmland () also known as Wermeland, is a '' landskap'' (historical province) in west-central Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland, and Närke, and is bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are ''Va ...

. 2013-2015 Secretary of the non-profit defense and security policy organization Allmänna Försvarsföreningen (AFF) in the county of Värmland, 2013-2016 Secretary General of the defense and security policy organization Svenska Atlantkommittén (SAK) security. He is also a member of the Riksdag for Värmland County since 2016, when he ascended to the position following Pia Hallström's death.

References

1972 births 21st-century Swedish politicians Living people Alumni of King's College London Members of the Riksdag 2014–2018 Members of the Riksdag 2018–2022 Members of the Riksdag 2022–2026 Members of the Riksdag from the Moderate Party Swedish Ministers for Defence {{Sweden-Moderate-politician-stub