Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

Karl Åke Sagrén (26 January 1935 – 12 December 2022) was a

Swedish Army The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...

officer. He was Chief of the Army from 1990 to 1994 and Chief of Army Command from 1994 to 1996.

Early life

Sagrén was born on 26 January 1935 in

Motala Motala () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Motala Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with a municipal population of 43,717 inhabitants in 2024. It is the third largest city of Östergötland, following Linköping and N ...

, Sweden, the son of Karl Sagrén, an engineer, and his wife Annie (née Myrman). His father joined the

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting ...

, the first day it was established and at the age of 15, Sagrén knew that he wanted to become an officer. Sagrén 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, ...

'' in 1955 and became an officer in 1958.

Career

Military career

Sagrén served at the Life Grenadier Regiment (I 4) and the Army Ranger School from 1958 to 1967 and was completed the higher course of the Swedish Armed Forces Staff College from 1967 to 1969. He then served at the Army Staff from 1969 to 1973 and the

Eastern Military District The Order of the Red Banner Eastern Military District ( Russian: Восточный военный округ) is a military district of Russia. It is one of the five military districts of the Russian Armed Forces, with its jurisdiction wi ...

(Milo Ö) from 1973 to 1976. He served in the Defence Staff from 1976 to 1982 and was commanding officer of the

Västernorrland Regiment The Västernorrland Regiment (), 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 with a detachment in Östersun ...

(I 21) and

Sollefteå Sollefteå () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Sollefteå Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden. History The earliest written account on Sollefteå is found in a script dating back to 1270. During this time the name ...

Army Garrison from 1982 to 1983. Sagrén was commanding officer of the Västernorrland Regiment and was Defence District Commander of the Västernorrland Defense District (Fo 23) from 1983 to 1984. On 1 April 1984, he became director and head of the Planning and Budget Secretariat (PBS) at the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

in Stockholm. He was promoted to major general in 1985 and on 1 October 1986, he assumed the position of chief of staff of the Upper Norrland Military District (Milo ÖN). On 1 October 1988, Sagrén assumed the position of military commander of the Upper Norrland Military District, succeeding lieutenant general Lars-Erik Englund. On 1 April 1990, Sagrén succeeded lieutenant general Erik G. Bengtsson as Chief of the Army. He held the post until 30 June 1994 and the post of Chief of Army Command from 1 July 1994 to 1996.

Other work

Sagrén was secretary in the 1974 Defense Investigation and expert in 1978 Defense Committee as well as the 1984 Defense Committee. He became a member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences () 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 military (army and air force) and de ...

in 1978. Sagrén was chairman of the board of the Fältrittklubben from 1996 to 2001 (honorary member in 2001), of the Army, Navy and Air Film (''Föreningen Armé- Marin- och Flygfilm'') from 1996 to 2001, of the ''Försvarsfrämjandet'' from 2000 until its closure in 2004 and of the Swedish Fencing Federation (''Svenska Fäktförbundet'') as well as the honorary general secretary of the Association of Home Guard Officers (''Hemvärnsbefälets Riksförbund''). Sagrén was also deputy chairman of the board of the Karolinska förbundet.

Personal life

In 1982 he married Yvonne Öström (born 1947). He has three children.

Death

Sagrén died on 12 December 2022 in

Täby Täby () was previously a trimunicipal locality, with 76,700 inhabitants in 2024. However, as from 2016, Statistics Sweden has amalgamated this locality with the Stockholm urban area. It is the seat of Täby Municipality in Stockholm County, Sw ...

, Sweden. The funeral service was held on 27 January 2023 in

Täby Church Täby Church () is a medieval church in Täby Municipality, in the province of Uppland north of Stockholm. The church is best known for its painted walls and ceilings by Albertus Pictor.Mertil Melin, Major General Paul Degerlund, General Sverker Göranson and Major General Berndt Grundevik.

Dates of rank

*1958 – Second lieutenant *19?? –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

*19?? –

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

*19?? –

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

*19?? – Lieutenant colonel *19?? –

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

*1982 –

Senior colonel __NOTOC__ Senior colonel is an officer rank usually placed between a regular colonel and a British brigadier or American brigadier general. Use Most western militaries tend to equate a senior colonel as being on the level of a "brigadier general ...

*1985 – Major general *1988 –

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

Awards and decorations

For Zealous and Devoted Service of the Realm ribbon

For Zealous and Devoted Service of the Realm * Pro Musica Militare (1996)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sagren, Ake 1935 births 2022 deaths Swedish Army lieutenant generals Chiefs of Army (Sweden) People from Motala Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences 20th-century Swedish military personnel