The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the

land force An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

of 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 ...

History

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 ...

dates back to the year 1521, when the men of

Dalarna Dalarna () is a '' landskap'' (historical province) in central Sweden. English exonyms for it are Dalecarlia () and the Dales. Dalarna adjoins Härjedalen, Hälsingland, Gästrikland, Västmanland and Värmland. It is also bordered by Norwa ...

chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman

Gustav Vasa Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksför ...

in the Swedish War of Liberation against the Danish-dominated

Union of Kalmar The Kalmar Union ( Danish, Norwegian, and sv, Kalmarunionen; fi, Kalmarin unioni; la, Unio Calmariensis) was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden, that from 1397 to 1523 joined under a single monarch the three kingdom ...

, thus making the present-day Life Guards one of the world's oldest regiments still on active duty. In 1901, Sweden introduced conscription. The conscription system was abolished in 2010 but reinstated in 2017.

Organisation

The peace-time organisation of the Swedish Army is divided into a number of regiments for the different branches. The number of active regiments has been reduced since the end of 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 ...

. However the Swedish Army has begun to expand once again. The regiment forms training organizations that train the various battalions of the army and home guard. The Swedish Armed Forces recently underwent a transformation from conscription-based recruitment to a professional defence organisation. This is part of a larger goal to abandon the mass army from the

and develop an army better suited to modern

maneuver warfare Maneuver warfare, or manoeuvre warfare, is a military strategy which seeks to shatter the enemy's overall cohesion and will to fight. Background Maneuver warfare, the use of initiative, originality and the unexpected, combined with a rut ...

and at the same time retain a higher readiness. Since 2014, the Swedish army has had around 50,000 soldiers in either full-time or part-time duty, with eight

mechanized infantry Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also mechanized force). As defined by the United States Army, mechanized infantry is di ...

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

s instantly available at any time and the full force of 71 battalions ready to be deployed within one week. The regular army consists of 8 mechanised maneuver battalions, 19 support battalions of different kinds including

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 ...

battalions, anti-aircraft battalions,

combat engineer A combat engineer (also called pioneer or sapper) is a type of soldier who performs military engineering tasks in support of land forces combat operations. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, tunnel and mine warfare tas ...

battalions, rangers, logistics battalions and 4 reserve heavy armoured battalions and 40 territorial defence battalions. The battalion is the core unit but all units are completely modular and can be arranged in combat teams from

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. B ...

level with different units depending on the task. There are a total of 6 permanent staffs under the central command capable of handling large battlegroups, 4 regional staffs and 2 brigade staffs.

Leadership

Until 1937 the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

was the formal Head of the Army, and until 1974 of the

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

at large. In 1937, the Chief of the Army position and headquarters staff ( sv, Chefen för armén, ''CA'') was created to lead the Army in peacetime. Following a larger reorganisation of the Swedish Armed Forces in 1994, CA ceased to exist as an independent agency, and all of the Armed Forces was centralized under the Supreme Commander (''ÖB''). Instead, the post Chief of Army Staff ( sv, Chefen för arméledningen) was created at the then newly instituted Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters (''HKV''). In 1998, the Swedish Armed Forces was yet again reorganized. Most of the duties of the Chief of Army Staff were transferred to the newly instituted post of " Inspector General of the Army" ( sv, Generalinspektören för armén). The post is similar to that of the "Inspector General of the

Swedish Navy The Swedish Navy ( sv, Svenska marinen) is the naval branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. It is composed of surface and submarine naval units – the Fleet () – as well as marine units, the Amphibious Corps (). In Swedish, vessels o ...

" ( sv, Generalinspektören för marinen) and the "Inspector General of the Swedish Air Force" ( sv, Generalinspektören för flygvapnet), later renamed to "Inspector of the Army" ( sv, Arméinspektören). In 2014, the Chief of Army ( sv, Arméchefen, ''AC'') position was reinstated.

Active regiments

Swedish Army regiments are tasked with training conscripts for the operational battalions of the army's rapid reaction organisation. The Gotland Regiment is the only regiment, which also trains Home Guard troops. The currently active regiments and their main peacetime subordinate units are: * Life Guards (LG), 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 ...

** Stockholm Command Staff ** Armed Forces International Centre (Swedint) ** Armed Forces Dog Service Unit (FHTE) ** Armed Forces Military Music Center (FöMus) **Life Guards Battalion **11. Military Police Battalion **13. Security Battalion **12. Mechanized Infantry Battalion **Livgardesgruppen *

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 ...

(I 13), in

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 inhabitan ...

** 2x Infantry battalions, in Falun *

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 f ...

(I 19), in Boden **

Norrbotten Armoured Battalion The Norrbotten Armoured Battalion ( sv, Norrbottens pansarbataljon), designation Pbat/I 19 or P 5, is a Swedish Army armoured battalion, one of the few new formations raised in the 20th century. It is still in active service, and is currently gar ...

(Pbat / I 19) trains the troops of the 191st and 192nd mechanized battalions, and 3rd brigade reconnaissance company ** Armed Forces Winter Unit (FMVE), in Boden and Arvidsjaur *

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 ...

(I 21), in

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 ...

** 2x Infantry battalions, in Sollefteå **

Jämtland Ranger Corps The Jämtland Ranger Corps ( sv, Jämtlands fältjägarkår, JFK), is a Swedish Army infantry unit that operated in various forms the years 1670–1983, 1990–1997, 2000–2005 and 2021–present. The unit was located in Östersund Garrison in � ...

(JFK), in

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, ...

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 ...

(K 3), in Karlsborg ** Training companies, train the troops of the

31st Ranger Battalion The 31st Ranger Battalion ( sv, 31. jägarbataljonen), previously called the 31st Light Infantry Battalion ( sv, 31. lätta skyttebataljonen, 31. LSkbat), is a specialized light infantry unit of the Swedish Army. The unit is part of the Life Reg ...

and 32nd Intelligence Battalion ** Armed Forces Survival School *

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 ...

(K 4), in

Arvidsjaur Arvidsjaur (; sju, Árviesjávrrie; ) is a locality and the seat of Arvidsjaur Municipality in Norrbotten County, province of Lapland, Sweden with 4,635 inhabitants in 2010. Arvidsjaur is a center for the European car industry. During the winte ...

** Training companies, trains the troops of the 193rd Ranger Battalion * Skaraborg Regiment (P 4), in

Skövde Skövde () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and urban centre in Skövde Municipality and Västra Götaland County, in the Västergötland, Västergötland (Western Gothland region) in central Southern Sweden. Skövde is situated some 150 ...

** Training unit (KFE), trains the troops of the 41st and 42nd mechanized battalions, 1st heavy transport company, and 2nd brigade reconnaissance company *

South Scanian Regiment South Scanian Regiment ( sv, Södra skånska regementet), designation P 7, is a Swedish Army armoured regiment that traces its origins back to 1811. It was converted from an infantry regiment in 1963 and renamed from South Scania Infantry Re ...

(P 7), in

Revingehed Revingehed is a military training area located at Revingeby approximately 20 kilometers east of Lund in southern Sweden. Revingehed is one of the largest and most complicated military training areas in Sweden. It includes 4,600 hectares of fore ...

** Training unit (KFE), trains the troops of the 71st and 72nd Light Mechanised Battalion *

Gotland Regiment The Gotland Regiment ( sv, Gotlands regemente, P 18) is a Swedish Army armoured regiment which has been active in various forms between 1963–1994 and 2000–2005, when it was disbanded. The regiment was re-raised on 1 January 2018. The regiment ...

(P 18), in

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 ...

** Gotlandsgruppen (GLG), trains and supports the Home Guard on Gotland *** Gotland Battalion (32. hvbat), in

* Boden Artillery Regiment (A 8) in Boden ** Artillery Battalion, trains the troops of the 91st and 92nd artillery battalions ** Artillery Combat School * Air Defence Regiment (Lv 6), in Halmstad ** Air Defence Battalion, trains the troops of the 61st and 62nd air defence battalions *

Göta Engineer Regiment The Göta Engineer Regiment ( sv, Göta ingenjörregemente), designation Ing 2, is a Swedish Army engineer regiment that traces its origins back to the 19th century. It is still in active service, and is currently garrisoned in Eksjö. History ...

(Ing 2), in

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 ...

** Engineer Battalion, trains the troops of the 21st and 22nd engineer battalions ** Field Works School *

Göta Logistic Regiment The Göta Logistic Regiment ( sv, Göta trängregemente, T 2), is the only logistic regiment in the Swedish Armed Forces. Its new organisation was laid down in 2000, when the regiment became the only logistic regiment in Sweden. The regiment is ...

(T 2), in

**Training unit, training the troops of the 1st and 2nd logistic battalions

Operational formations 2022

The Swedish Army distinguishes an administrative from an operational structure. The administrative structure includes the peacetime depot units (''depåförband''), which are responsible for the training, equipment and combat readiness of the forces. Depot units are the army regiments, the air force flotillas, the naval flotillas or the armed forces centers. The depot units generate wartime units (''krigsförband''), which are transferred to their respective wartime formations, so normally the Swedish army regiments are composed of administrative and training companies during peacetime and their battalions are only formed for exercises and during wartime. The operational units in their entirety are known as the operational organisation of the armed forces (''Försvarsmaktens Insatsorganisation'' (''FM IO'' or just ''IO'', followed by the year it has been introduced in, as ''IO 2018'' or just ''IO 18'' for example) in Swedish). The operational organisation of the army plans for the training regiments to form two combat brigades (2nd and 3rd) and a number of independent combat battalions within a few days. This plan, however, was considered by the Supreme Commander to be impossible due to the economic situation at the time. In 2013, the Armed Forces issued a statement saying that the reorganisation would only suffice for a reasonable defence of Swedish territory for one week. The force was to include the following units: As of 2022 the Army's units of the Operational Organisation are: * Life Guards (LG), in

Kungsängen Kungsängen ( en, King’s Meadow) is a locality and the seat of Upplands-Bro Municipality Upplands-Bro Municipality (''Upplands-Bro kommun'') is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Kungs� ...

** Life Guards Battalion (''Livbataljonen'') *** Staff and support company, life guards company, life guards mounted squadron, cavalry mounted squadron ** 11th Military Police Battalion (''11. militärpolisbataljonen'') *** Personnel protection company, two military police companies, investigation group ** 12th Motorized Rifle Battalion (''12. motoriserade skyttebataljonen'') *** Staff and support company, three

Patria AMV The Patria AMV (Armored Modular Vehicle) is an 8×8 multi-role military vehicle produced by the Finnish defence industry company Patria. The main feature of the AMV is its modular design, which allows the incorporation of different turrets, wea ...

mechanized companies, support company ** 13th Security Battalion (''13. säkerhetsbataljonen'') *** Staff and operations squadron, land security squadron, sea security company *

(K 3), in Karlsborg **

*** Staff and support squadron, three Jägar squadrons, logistic squadron ** 32nd Intelligence Battalion *** Functions squadron, two reconnaissance squadrons, parachute Jägar company *

(K 4), in

** Norrland Jägar Battalion (''Norrlandsjägarbataljon'') * Skaraborg Regiment (P 4), in

** 2nd Brigade Staff (''2. brigadstaben'') ** 41st Armored Battalion (''41. pansarbataljonen'') *** Staff and support company, two

Stridsvagn 122 Stridsvagn 122 (Strv 122) (;"Strv" is the Swedish military abbreviation of ''stridsvagn'', Swedish for chariot and tank (literally ''combat wagon''), while the number "122" comes from the Swedish designation system for tanks, were the two initial ...

tank companies, two

CV90 The Combat Vehicle 90 (CV90; Sw. ''Stridsfordon'' 90, Strf90) is a family of Swedish tracked combat vehicles designed by Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration (''Försvarets Materielverk'', FMV), Hägglunds and Bofors during the mid-1980s to ea ...

mechanized companies, logistic company ** 42nd Armored Battalion (''42. pansarbataljonen'') *** Staff and support company, two

tank companies, two

mechanized companies, logistic company ** 1st Heavy Transport Company (''1. tungtransportkompaniet'') *

(P 7), in

** 71st Motorized Rifle Battalion (''71. motoriserade skyttebataljonen'') *** Staff and support company, three

mechanized companies, logistic company ** 72nd Armored Battalion (''72. pansarbataljonen'') *** Staff and support company, two

tank companies, two

mechanized companies, logistic company *

(I 13), in

** 131st Rifle Battalion (''131. skyttebataljonen'' - being raised) ** 132nd Rifle Battalion (''132. skyttebataljonen'' - being raised) *

(P 18), in

** 181st Armored Battalion (''181. pansarbataljonen'') *** Staff and support company,

tank company,

mechanized company, logistic company *

(I 19), in Boden ** 3rd Brigade Staff (''3. brigadstaben'') ** 191st Armored Battalion (''191. pansarbataljonen'') *** Staff and support company, two

tank companies, two

mechanized companies, logistic company ** 192nd Armored Battalion (''192. pansarbataljonen'') *** Staff and support company, two

tank companies, two

mechanized companies, logistic company ** 3rd Brigade Reconnaissance Company (''3. brigadspaningskompaniet''), equipped with

(I 21), in

** 211th Rifle Battalion (''211. skyttebataljonen'' - being raised) ** Jämtland Field Jägar Corps (''Jämtlands fältjägarkår''), in

*** 212th Rifle Battalion (''212. skyttebataljonen'' - being raised) * Boden Artillery Regiment (A 8), in Boden ** 81st Artillery Battalion (''81. artilleribataljon'') *** Staff and logistic battery, three

Archer Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...

batteries, sensor battery ** 82nd Artillery Battalion (''82. artilleribataljon'') *** Staff and logistic battery, three Archer batteries, sensor battery *

Bergslagen Artillery Regiment The Bergslagen Artillery Regiment ( sv, Bergslagens artilleriregemente), designation A 9, is a Swedish Army artillery unit which has operated in various forms from 1943 to 2000 and again from 4 December 2022 after the Swedish government decided ...

(A 9), in

Kristinehamn Kristinehamn is a locality and the seat of Kristinehamn Municipality, Värmland County, Sweden, with 17,839 inhabitants in 2010. Geography Kristinehamn is situated by the shores of lake Vänern where the small rivers ''Varnan'' and ''Löt' ...

** 91st Artillery Battalion (''91. artilleribataljonen'' - being raised) *** Staff and logistic battery, three Archer batteries, sensor battery ** 92nd Artillery Battalion (''92. artilleribataljonen'' - being raised) *** Staff and logistic battery, three Archer batteries, sensor battery *

(Ing 2), in

** 21st Engineer Battalion (''21. ingenjörbataljon'') *** Staff and logistic company, two engineer companies, machine/bridging company ** 22nd Engineer Battalion (''22. ingenjörbataljon'') *** Staff and logistic company, two engineer companies, machine/bridging company * Air Defence Regiment (Lv 6), in Halmstad ** 61st Air Defence Battalion (''61. luftvärnsbataljonen'') ** 62nd Air Defence Battalion (''62. luftvärnsbataljonen'') *

(T 2), in Skövde ** 1st Logistic Battalion (''1. logistikbataljonen'') ** 2nd Logistic Battalion (''2. logistikbataljonen'') ** 1st Medical Reinforcement Company (''1. sjukvårdsförstärkningskompaniet'') ** 2nd Medical Reinforcement Company (''2. sjukvårdsförstärkningskompaniet'') ** 1st Traffic and Movement Control Company (''1. trafik- och transportledningskompaniet'') The following Armed Forces' establishments provide additional units for the Rapid Reaction Organisation: * Command Regiment (LedR), in

Enköping Enköping is a locality and the seat of Enköping Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 30,000 inhabitants in 2018. Geography Enköping is situated near Lake Mälaren, about 78 km west of Stockholm. A comparably large number of S ...

** Command Battalion (''Ledningsplatsbataljonen'') *** Three Staff companies, public affairs/ interpreter/ combat camera company ** Signal Battalion (''Sambandsbataljonen'') *** Staff company, two signal companies, signal reinforcement company ** Electronic Warfare Battalion (''Telekrigsbataljonen'') ** Psychological Operations (''Psykologiska operationer'') ** Meteorology and Oceanography Center (''Meteorologi- och oceanograficentrum'') * Armed Forces Centre for Defence Medicine, in

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 ...

** 1st Hospital Company (''1. sjukhuskompaniet'') ** 2nd Hospital Company (''2. sjukhuskompaniet'') *

National CBRN Defence Centre The National CBRN Defence Centre ( sv, Totalförsvarets skyddscentrum, SkyddC, , Total Defense Protection Center) is a Swedish military unit with expertise regarding chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense used by both the army, m ...

(SkyddC), in

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, U ...

** 1st CBRN defense Company (''1. CBRN-kompaniet'') * Armed Forces Technical School, in Halmstad ** 1st Operational Logistics Battalion (''1. Operativa logistikbataljon'')

Graphic overview of operational formations 2022

Swedish Army combat support and service support formations 2022

Equipment

Home Guard

The Home Guard (

Hemvärnet The Home Guard – National Security Forces ( sv, Hemvärnet – Nationella skyddsstyrkorna) is a military reserve force of the Swedish Armed Forces. It was formally established on May 29, 1940, during World War II upon popular demand. While ori ...

) consists of 40 battalions with a total of 22,000 men. Many of the soldiers have served abroad with regular army units.

Northern Military Region

The Northern Military Region is responsible for supporting Home Guard units in,

Jämtland County Jämtland County ( sv, Jämtlands län, ) is a county or ''län'' in the middle of Sweden consisting of the provinces of Jämtland and Härjedalen, along with minor parts of Hälsingland and Ångermanland, plus two small uninhabited strips of ...

, Norrbotten County,

Västerbotten County Västerbotten County ( sv, Västerbottens län) is a county or ''län'' in the north of Sweden. It shares the borders with the counties of Västernorrland, Jämtland, and Norrbotten, as well as the Norwegian county of Nordland and the Gulf of Bo ...

, and

Västernorrland County Västernorrland County ( sv, Västernorrlands län) is a county ('' län'') in the north of Sweden. It is bordered by the counties of Gävleborg, Jämtland, Västerbotten and the Gulf of Bothnia. The name ''Västernorrland'' means "Western ...

with training and administrative resources. * Northern Military Region, in Boden ** Lappland Jäger Group (''Lapplandsjägargruppen'' – LJG), in Kiruna (Northern Norrbotten County) *** Lappland Jäger Battalion (''Lapplandsjägarbataljonen'' – 10. hvbat), in Kiruna *** Frontier Jäger Battalion (''Gränsjägarbataljonen'' – 11. hvbat), in

Kalix Kalix ( sv, Kalix; Kalix dialect: ''Kôlis'', , phonemically ; fi, Kainuu; fit, Kainus) is a locality and the seat of the Kalix Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden. The name Kalix is believed to originate from the Sami word ''Gáláse ...

** Norrbotten Group (''Norrbottensgruppen'' – NBG), in Boden (Southern Norrbotten County) *** Norrbotten Battalion (''Norrbottensbataljonen'' – 12. hvbat), in Luleå ** Västerbotten Group (''Västerbottensgruppen'' – VBG), in

(

) *** Västerbotten Battalion (''Västerbottensbataljonen'' – 13. hvbat), in Umeå ** Field Jäger Group (''Fältjägargruppen'' – FJG), in

(

) *** Field Jäger Battalion (''Fältjägarbataljonen'' – 14. hvbat), in Östersund ** Västernorrland Group (''Västernorrlandsgruppen'' – VNG), in

Härnösand Härnösand () is a locality and the seat of Härnösand Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden with 17,556 inhabitants in 2010. It is called "the gate to the High Coast" because of the world heritage landscape just a few miles north of H ...

(

) *** Ångermanland Battalion (''Ångermanlandsbataljonen'' – 15. hvbat,

Ångermanland Ångermanland ( or ) is a historical province (''landskap'') in the northern part of Sweden. It is bordered (clockwise from the north) by Swedish Lapland, Västerbotten, the Gulf of Bothnia, Medelpad and Jämtland. The name is derived from ...

province), in

Örnsköldsvik Örnsköldsvik (, ) is a locality and the seat of Örnsköldsvik Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden, with 32,953 inhabitants in 2017. Its natural harbour and archipelago is in the Gulf of Bothnia and the northern boundaries of the Hig ...

*** Medelpad Battalion (''Medelpadsbataljonen'' – 16. hvbat,

Medelpad Medelpad ( or ) is a historical province or ''landskap'' in the north of Sweden. It borders Hälsingland, Härjedalen, Jämtland, Ångermanland and the Gulf of Bothnia. The province is a part of Norrland and as such considered to be Northern ...

province), in Sundsvall

Central Military Region

The Central Military Region is responsible for supporting Home Guard units in

Dalarna County Dalarna County ( sv, Dalarnas län) is a county or '' län'' in central Sweden (Svealand). It borders on the counties of Uppsala, Jämtland, Gävleborg, Västmanland, Örebro and Värmland. It also borders on the Norwegian counties of Hedmar ...

, Gävleborg County,

Södermanland County Södermanland County ( sv, Södermanlands län) is a county or ''län'' on the southeast coast of Sweden. In the local Sörmlandic dialects it is virtually universally shortened and pronounced as Sörmlands län, or simply Sörmland, which is th ...

, Stockholm County,

Uppsala County Uppsala County ( sv, Uppsala län) is a county or ''län'' on the eastern coast of Sweden, whose capital is the city of Uppsala. It borders the counties of Dalarna, Stockholm, Södermanland, Västmanland, Gävleborg, and the Baltic Sea. Prov ...

, and

Västmanland County Västmanland County ( sv, Västmanlands län) is a county or ''län'' in central Sweden. It borders the counties of Södermanland, Örebro, Gävleborg, Dalarna and Uppsala. The county also has a stretch of shoreline towards Mälaren (Sweden's ...

with training and administrative resources. * Central Military Region, in

** Dal Regiment Group (''Dalregementsgruppen'' – DRG), in

(

) *** Dala Battalion (''Dalabataljonen'' – 17. hvbat), in Falun ** Gävleborg Group (''Gävleborgsgruppen'' – GBG), in Gävle ( Gävleborg County) *** Gävleborg Battalion (''Gävleborgsbataljonen'' – 18. hvbat), in Gävle **

Uppland 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 uninhab ...

and Västmanland Group (''Upplands- och Västmanlandsgruppen'' – UVG), in

(

Uppsala Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Located north of the c ...

and

Västmanland Västmanland ( or ), is a historical Swedish province, or ''landskap'', in middle Sweden. It borders Södermanland, Närke, Värmland, Dalarna and Uppland. Västmanland means "(The) Land of the Western Men", where the "western men" (''västerm ...

counties) *** Uppland Battalion (''Upplandsbataljonen'' – 21. hvbat), in

*** Västmanland Battalion (''Västmanlandsbataljonen'' – 22. hvbat), in

Västerås Västerås ( , , ) is a city in central Sweden on the shore of 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 is the se ...

** Life Guards Group (''Livgardesgruppen'' – LGG), in Kungsängen ( Stockholm County) ***

Attundaland Attundaland (or the land of the eight hundreds) was the name given to the southeastern part of the present day province of Uppland, north of Stockholm. Its name refers to its role of providing 800 men and 32 ships for the leidang of the Swedish ...

Battalion (''Attundalandsbataljonen'' – 23. hvbat), in Stockholm *** Stockholm Battalion (''Stockholmsbataljonen'' – 24. hvbat), in Stockholm *** Telgehus Battalion (''Telgehusbataljonen'' – 25. hvbat), in

Södertälje Södertälje ( , ) is a city in Södermanland and Stockholm County, Sweden and seat of Södertälje Municipality. As of 2017, it has 72,704 inhabitants. Södertälje is located at Mälarens confluence in to the Baltic Sea through the lock in the ...

*** Ulvsunda Battalion (''Ulvsundabataljonen'' – 26. hvbat), in

** Södermanland Group (''Södermanlandsgruppen'' – SLG), in

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 ...

(

) *** Södermanland Battalion (''Södermanlandsbataljonen'' – 27. hvbat), in Strängnäs ** Södertörn Group (''Södertörnsgruppen'' – UGS), at Berga Naval Base (Coastal areas of Stockholm County) *** Roslagen Battalion (''Roslagsbataljonen'' – 28. hvbat), in

Norrtälje Norrtälje is a locality and the seat of Norrtälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 17,275 inhabitants in 2010. It is one of the largest towns in Roslagen. History Norrtälje’s early history dates back to the Iron Age. Around 225 ...

Roslagen Roslagen is the name of the coastal areas of Uppland province in Sweden, which also constitutes the northern part of the Stockholm archipelago. Historically, it was the name for all the coastal areas of the Baltic Sea, including the eastern p ...

*** Södertörn Battalion (''Södertörnsbataljonen'' – 29. hvbat), at Berga Naval Base in

Södertörn Södertörn is a roughly triangular peninsula and artificial island in eastern Södermanland, Sweden, which is bordered by: *Lake Mälaren and the inlet of Saltsjön (a part of the Baltic Sea) to the north, *The Baltic Sea (the Stockholm Arch ...

Southern Military Region

The Southern Military Region is responsible for supporting Home Guard units in

Blekinge County Blekinge County ( sv, Blekinge län) is a Counties of Sweden, county or ''län'' in the south of Sweden. It borders the Counties of Skåne County, Skåne, Kronoberg County, Kronoberg, Kalmar County, Kalmar and the Baltic Sea. The capital is Karl ...

Jönköping County Jönköping County ( sv, Jönköpings län) is a county or '' län'' in southern Sweden. It borders the counties of Halland, Västra Götaland, Östergötland, Kalmar and Kronoberg. The total county population was 356,291 inhabitants in Sept ...

Kalmar County Kalmar County () is a county or '' län'' in southern Sweden. It borders the counties of Kronoberg, Jönköping, Blekinge and Östergötland. To the east in the Baltic Sea is the island Gotland. The counties are mainly administrative units. G ...

Kronoberg County Kronoberg County (; sv, Kronobergs län) is a county or '' län'' in southern Sweden. Kronoberg is one of three counties in the province of Småland. It borders the counties of Skåne, Halland, Jönköping, Kalmar, and Blekinge. Its capital ...

Skåne County Skåne County ( sv, Skåne län, link=no ), sometimes referred to as Scania County in English, is the most southern county, or , of Sweden, basically corresponding to the traditional province Scania. It borders the counties of Halland, Kronobe ...

, and

Östergötland County Östergötland County ( sv, Östergötlands län) is a county or '' län'' in southeastern Sweden. It has land borders with the counties of Kalmar to the southeast, Jönköping to the southwest, Örebro to the northwest, and Södermanland to the ...

with training and administrative resources. * Southern Military Region, in

Revingeby Revingeby (sometimes shortened to ) is a locality Locality may refer to: * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localities (Austr ...

** Life Grenadier Group (''Livgrenadjärgruppen'' – LGAG), in

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 ...

(

) *** 1st Life Grenadier Battalion (''Första livgrenadjärbataljonen'' – 30. hvbat), in Linköping *** 2nd Life Grenadier Battalion (''Andra livgrenadjärbataljonen'' – 31. hvbat), in

Norrköping Norrköping (; ) is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County, about 160 km southwest of the national capital Stockholm, 40 km east of county seat Linköp ...

** North

Småland Småland () is a historical province () in southern Sweden. Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means ''Small Lands''. The Latinized fo ...

Group (''Norra Smålandsgruppen'' – NSG), in

(

) *** North Småland Battalion (''Norra Smålandsbataljonen'' – 33. hvbat), in

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 Municipa ...

** Kalmar and Kronoberg Group (''Kalmar- och Kronobergsgruppen'' – KRAG), in

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 ...

(

Kalmar Kalmar (, , ) is a city in the southeast of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 36,392 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of ...

and

Kronoberg Kronoberg County (; sv, Kronobergs län) is a county or ''län'' in southern Sweden. Kronoberg is one of three counties in the province of Småland. It borders the counties of Skåne, Halland, Jönköping, Kalmar, and Blekinge. Its capital is t ...

counties) *** Kalmar Battalion (''Kalmarbataljonen'' – 34. hvbat), in

*** Kronoberg Battalion (''Kronobergsbataljonen'' – 35. hvbat), in Växjö ** Blekinge Group (''Blekingegruppen'' – BLG), in Karlskrona (

) *** Blekinge Western Battalion (''Blekinge västra bataljon'' – 36. hvbat), in Ronneby *** Blekinge Eastern Battalion (''Blekinge östra bataljon'' – 37. hvbat), in Karlskrona ** Scanian Group (''Skånska gruppen'' – SSK), in

(

) *** South Scanian Battalion (''Södra skånska bataljonen'' – 46. hvbat), in Lund *** Malmöhus Battalion (''Malmöhusbataljonen'' – 47. hvbat), in

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...

(

Malmöhus County Malmöhus County ( sv, Malmöhus län) was a county of Sweden 1719–1996. On 1 January 1997 it was merged with Kristianstad County to form Skåne County. It had been named after Malmöhus, a castle in Malmö, which was also where the governor o ...

) *** Scanian Dragoon Battalion (''Skånska dragonbataljonen'' – 48. hvbat), in

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 ...

*** North Scanian Battalion (''Norra skånska bataljonen'' – 49. hvbat), in

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

Western Military Region

The Western Military Region is responsible for supporting Home Guard units in

Halland County Halland County ( sv, Hallands län, link=no, ) is a county (''län'') on the western coast of Sweden. It corresponds roughly to the cultural and historical province of Halland. The capital is Halmstad. It borders the counties of Västra Götal ...

Värmland County Värmland County (''Värmlands län'') is a county or '' län'' in west central Sweden. It borders the Swedish counties of Dalarna, Örebro and Västra Götaland, as well as the Norwegian counties of Viken and Innlandet to the west. Prince C ...

Västra Götaland County Västra Götaland County ( sv, Västra Götalands län) is a county or '' län'' on the western coast of Sweden. The county is the second most populous of Sweden's counties and it comprises 49 municipalities (''kommuner''). Its population of 1 ...

, and

Örebro County Örebro County ( sv, Örebro län) is a county or '' län'' in central Sweden. It borders the counties of Västra Götaland, Värmland, Dalarna, Västmanland, Södermanland and Östergötland. It is frequently culturally divided into the hilly n ...

with training and administrative resources. * Western Military Region, in

** Örebro and Värmland Group (''Örebro- och Värmlandsgruppen'' – ÖVG), in

Örebro Örebro ( , ) is the 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 inland along the small river Svartån, and ...

(

and

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 '' ...

counties) *** Värmland Battalion (''Värmlandsbataljonen'' – 19. hvbat), in Karlstad *** Sannahed Battalion (''Sannahedsbataljonen'' – 20. hvbat), in Örebro ** Skaraborg Group (''Skaraborgsgruppen'' – SKG), in Skövde (

) *** Kinne Battalion (''Kinnebataljonen'' – 38. hvbat), in

Lidköping Lidköping () is a locality and the seat of Lidköping Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had about 40 000 inhabitants in 2021. It is situated on the southern shore of Lake Vänern and sometimes refers to itself as "Lidkö ...

*** Kåkind Battalion (''Kåkindbataljonen'' – 39. hvbat), in Skövde ** Bohusdal Group (''Bohusdalgruppen'' – BDG), in Skredsvik ( Bohuslän and

Dalsland Dalsland () is a Swedish traditional province, or ''landskap'', situated in Götaland in southern Sweden. Lying to the west of Lake Vänern, it is bordered by Värmland to the north, Västergötland to the southeast, Bohuslän to the west, and ...

provinces) ***

Bohus Battalion ''Bohus Battalion'' (Swedish: ''Bohus bataljon'') is a 1949 Swedish comedy film directed by Sölve Cederstrand and Arthur Spjuth and starring Per Grundén, Doris Svedlund and Gus Dahlström.Krawc p.388 It was shot at the Centrumateljéerna Stud ...

(''Bohusbataljonen'' – 40. hvbat), in

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 ar ...

** Elfsborg Group (''Elfsborgsgruppen'' – EBG), in Käringberget (City of

) *** Gothenburg Southern Battalion (''Göteborgs södra bataljon'' – 41. hvbat), in Gothenburg *** Gothenburg Northern Battalion (''Göteborgs norra bataljon'' – 42. hvbat), in Gothenburg *** Gothenburg Archipelago Battalion (''Göteborgs skärgårds bataljon'' – 43. hvbat), in Gothenburg *** Älvsborg Regiment, Älvsborg Battalion (''Älvsborgsbataljonen'' – 44. hvbat), in Borås ** Halland Group (''Hallandsgruppen'' – HAG), in Halmstad (

) *** Halland Regiment, Halland Battalion (''Hallandsbataljonen'' – 45. hvbat), in Halmstad

Gotland Military Region

The Home Guard battalion on the island of Gotland falls under the

, which also commands the active 181st Armored Battalion. * Militärregion Gotland, in

(P 18), in Visby *** Gotland Group (''Gotlandsgruppen'' – GLG), in Visby **** Gotland Battalion (''Gotlandsbataljonen'' – 32. hvbat), in Visby

Size

The army on active service during most of the 20th century only consisted of conscript receiving their basic training (at the most one year for privates), and conscripts called up for refreshers (at the most one month for privates) with intervals of at least 4–6 years. During WWII smaller or larger parts of the wartime establishment were also called up for periodical stand-by duty (up to 6 months). The figures for total strength below refer to the total force which could be mobilised. Between the introduction of universal conscription in 1902 until the start of World War II, the army was usually maintained at a consistent strength of 100,000 men, with two-thirds of the force being conscripts for two years. From 1942 onwards, the Swedish government embarked upon a massive and ambitious militarisation program in which conscription was strictly enforced and compulsory service was extended. The basic training for privates was set at 12 months, for future conscript sergeants intended to become platoon leaders (mainly sixth form graduates) 18 months, and for future conscript officers 24 months. These periods were gradually reduced, and the ranks were raised, until it was the same period for all conscripts shortly before conscription was suspended in 2009. This combined with propaganda about conscription being a part of social duty and defending the Swedish principle of ''folkhemmet'', led to an army a size of about 700,000 active duty soldiers that could be mobilised in late 1945. Since the late winter of 1945 the size of the army was slowly decreased as entire reserve battalions and brigades were gradually demobilised, and by late 1947 the size of the army was around 170,000 soldiers who could be mobilised and was planned to stabilise at such a quantity of personnel. However, due to the rise in tensions between the East and West over the political landscape of Europe, the threat from the Soviet Union in 1949 and 1950, coinciding with the start of the Cold War, led to a return to the militaristic policy by the Swedish government. From 1950 until around 1976 the size of the army was at an average of 250,000 soldiers with a peak of 400,000 mobilisable soldiers during the late 1950s and early 1960s. The rules were badly enforced, but dodging the draft was punishable with imprisonment. During the 1980s the size of the army was around 180,000 soldiers and was slowly increased as time progressed until around 1988. The end of the Cold War led to a massive restructuring of the Swedish Army. Every year after 1988, the Army discharged around 40,000 conscripts and recruited only 20,000, so that by 1995 the size was down to 80,000 soldiers. Around this time the compulsory service obligation was further reduced to 10 months, reserve service became more flexible, and changes made in enforcement so that forceful enforcement became withdrawn as policy. By 2004 the size of the Swedish Army was down to 60,000 soldiers, and in 2013, three years after the end of conscription, the size was at an all-time low of just 16,000 soldiers, though the army plans to reach a level of 50,000 professional soldiers by 2020, mostly through a large media campaigns. A number of previously disbanded regiments will also be re-raised (

, and

) with the Jämtland Ranger Corps, Jämtland Ranger Regiment re-raised as a battalion of Västernorrland Regiment.

Recruitment

From the 17th century until 1901, Swedish Army recruitment was based upon the allotment system. In 1812, conscription was introduced for all males between age 20 and 25 to serve in the armed forces twelve days a year, increased in 1858 to four weeks per two years. The allotment system was abolished in 1901 and replaced with universal conscription for all males. All personnel were drafted as conscripts for a year of conscription, after which the unit the soldier trained with was put in reserve. Upon completion of conscript service with sufficient service marks, conscripts are eligible to apply for commissioned officer training, Non-commissioned officer, NCO/Warrant Officer or from 2007 stay in the Army as a professional Private (rank), private, mainly to be employed in the Nordic Battle Group. The army has employed soldiers for United Nations peacekeeping, UN service on short time contracts since the 1950s for service abroad. From July 2010 until 2017, the Swedish Army was an all-professional fighting force. The government announced on 2 March 2017 that conscription was going to be reinstated. Of a pool of around 13,000 men and women born 1999, 4,000 were going to be selected for conscription starting January 2018. The government stated that the number of conscripts may increase in response to foreign events.

Ranks

;Commissioned officer ranks The rank insignia of commissioned officers. ;Other ranks The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and Enlisted rank, enlisted personnel.

References

External links

*
Swedish Army
– official website
Soldf.com
– unofficial weapons, vehicles and equipment page of the Swedish Armed forces

{{Armies in Europe Swedish Army, Military of Sweden, Army

History

Organisation

Leadership

Active regiments

Operational formations 2022

Graphic overview of operational formations 2022

Equipment

Home Guard

Northern Military Region

Central Military Region

Southern Military Region

Western Military Region

Gotland Military Region

Size

Recruitment

Ranks

See also

References

External links