General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Per Micael Bydén (born 13 June 1964) is the

Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces The Supreme Commander ( sv, överbefälhavaren; acronym: ÖB) is the highest ranked professional military officer in the Swedish Armed Forces, and is by NATO terminology the Swedish chief of defence equivalent. The Supreme Commander is the agency ...

, appointed on 11 September 2015. He was earlier senior commander in the Swedish Air Force. Bydén served as the Chief of Air Force between 2012 and 2015.

Early life

Bydén was born in Gnarp, Sweden, the son of Alvar and Gun Bydén. He did his mandatory military service in

Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment The Älvsborg Coastal Artillery Regiment ( sv, Älvsborgs kustartilleriregemente), designation KA 4, was a Swedish Navy coastal artillery regiment of the Swedish Armed Forces which operated between 1942 and 2000. The unit was based in Gothenburg. ...

(KA 4) in Gothenburg in 1982 and then attended the Coastal Artillery and Navy Officers Academy in Gothenburg and Karlskrona from 1983 to 1985 and was commissioned as second lieutenant in the naval mine and boat service in

Härnösand Coastal Artillery Regiment The Härnösand Coastal Artillery Regiment ( sv, Härnösands kustartilleriregemente), designation KA 5, was a Swedish Navy coastal artillery regiment of the Swedish Armed Forces which operated between 1943 and 1998. The unit was based in Härnös ...

the same year.

Career

He completed the Air Force's basic pilot flight training 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 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'' after the municipal ref ...

from 1986 to 1987 and was then a fighter pilot at Norrbotten Wing (F 21) from 1989 to 1996. He flew SK 61,

SK 60 The Saab 105 is a Swedish high-wing, twinjet trainer aircraft developed in the early 1960s as a private venture by Saab AB. The Swedish Air Force, which had opted to procure the type for various roles, issued the aircraft with the designation Sk ...

, AJS/SF/SH/JA 37 as well as HKP 6 totaling 1,500 flight hours. Bydén completed the Royal Swedish Air Force Academy's (''Flygvapnets krigsskola'') general course in

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 1990 to 1991 and the higher course in 1992. In 1991, Bydén was promoted to lieutenant and 1992 to captain and 1996 to major. He completed the Swedish National Defence College' tactical course in Stockholm from 1995 to 1996 and was Deputy Squadron Commander at Norrbotten Wing from 1996 to 1997. Bydén completed the Swedish National Defence College' advanced command course from 1997 to 1999 and served as Assistant Air Attaché at the

Swedish Embassy This is a list of diplomatic missions of Sweden. Sweden has a moderately sized diplomatic network of 78 embassies and 7 consulates general, supplemented by honorary consulates, cultural centres and trade missions. In countries without Swedish repr ...

in Washington, D.C. from 1999 to 2001. Bydén was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 2001 and served as Air Attaché at the Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C. from 2001 to 2002 and then as staff officer at the Air Force Branch at the

Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters The Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters ( sv, Högkvarteret, HKV) is the highest level of command in the Swedish Armed Forces. Established in 1994, its primary task is to command operations, but is also involved in areas such as military strategy, ...

in Stockholm from 2002 to 2003. Bydén was commanding officer of the Swedish Air Force Flying Training School (''Flygvapnets flygskola'') 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 (Chu ...

from 2003 to 2005 and deputy commanding officer of the Swedish Armed Forces Helicopter Wing in Linköping from 2005 to 2008. He was promoted to colonel in 2006 and served as commanding officer of the Helicopter Wing from 2008 to 2009. Bydén was promoted to brigadier general in 2009 and served as head of the Air Force Training and Development Staff at the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters in Stockholm from 2009 to 2011. In 2010 he completed the civil/military command course at Solbacka. Bydén was Chief of Staff of the Regional Command North of the

International Security Assistance Force The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386, Resolution 1386 pursua ...

(ISAF) in

Mazar-i-Sharif , official_name = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , pushpin_map = Afghanistan#Bactria#West Asia , pushpin_label = Mazar-i-Sharif , pushpin ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

in 2011 before becoming the Inspector of the Air Force (renamed Chief of Air Force in 2014) and head of the

Air Component Command Air Component Command ( sv, Flygvapnets taktiska stab, FTS) was a part of the Joint Forces Command of the Swedish Armed Forces. The staff was located at the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters in Stockholm. The Air Component Command commanded the ...

with the rank of major general in January 2012, a position he stayed in until being appointed

on 11 September 2015. He took office and was promoted to general on 1 October 2015. In 2017 he said the Swedish army was seriously underfunded and understaffed. In response the Swedish government will increase the military budget by $331 million and reintroduce conscription for 2018.

Personal life

Bydén is married to Anita Carlman and together they have three children. He lives 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 ...

Dates of rank

*1985 –

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 1 ...

*1991 –

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 ...

*1992 –

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 ...

*1996 – Major *2001 – Lieutenant colonel *2006 –

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 ...

*2009 –

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 t ...

*2012 –

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 ...

*2015 –

Awards and decorations

Bydén's awards:

Swedish

For Zealous and Devoted Service of the Realm ribbon

For Zealous and Devoted Service of the Realm * FMGUSM - Försvarsmaktens grundutbildningsmedalj (Sverige)

Swedish Armed Forces Conscript Medal * FMintBM bar

Swedish Armed Forces International Service Medal The Swedish Armed Forces International Service Medal ( sv, Försvarsmaktens medalj för internationella insatser, FMintBM) is a Swedish reward medal instituted by the Swedish Armed Forces in 1991. The medal regulations has been revised twice, in 1 ...

* National Federation of Voluntary Motor Cycle Corps Medal of Merit in gold (''Frivilliga Motorcykelkårernas Riksförbunds förtjänstmedalj i guld'', FMCKGM) * SWE_Home_Guard_Royal_Medal_of_Merit_ribbon

SWE_Home_Guard_Royal_Medal_of_Merit_ribbon

Home Guard Medal of Merit Home Guard Medal of Merit ( sv, Hemvärnets förtjänstmedalj, HVGM & HVSM) is a Swedish reward medal established in 1947 by the National Home Guard Council. It is awarded to those who, through significant service, have contributed to developing ...

in gold *

Swedish_Air_Force_Volunteers_Association_Medal_of_Merit_ribbon

Swedish Air Force Volunteers Association Medal of Merit in gold *

Helicopter Wing Gold Medal of Merit (''Helikopterflottiljens förtjänstmedalj i guld'') * Swedish_Air_Force_Volunteers_Association_Badge_of_Merit_ribbon

Swedish Air Force Volunteers Association Merit Badge The Swedish Air Force Volunteers Association Merit Badge ( sv, Flygvapenföreningarnas riksförbunds förtjänsttecken or ''Flygvapenfrivilligas förtjänsttecken'', FVRFGFt) is a Swedish merit badge established in 1986 by the Swedish Air Force V ...

Home Guard Silver Medal The Home Guard Silver Medal ( sv, Hemvärnets silvermedalj, HvSM) is a Swedish reward medal established in 1951 by the National Home Guard Council (''Rikshemvärnsrådet''). It is awarded for significant service contributed to the development of ...

* Swedish Reserve Officers Federation Merit Badge in silver (''Förbundet Sveriges Reservofficerares förtjänsttecken i silver'')

Foreign

FIN_Order_of_the_Lion_of_Finland_1Class_BAR

Commander Grand Cross of the

Order of the Lion of Finland The Order of the Lion of Finland ( fi, Suomen Leijonan ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Lejons orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty and the Order of the White Rose of Finland. The President o ...

(25 September 2020, awarded in November 2020) * Commander of the

Royal Norwegian Order of Merit The Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (Norwegian: ''Den Kongelige Norske Fortjenstorden'' (Bokmål) or ''Den Kongelege Norske Fortenesteordenen'' (Nynorsk)) was instituted by King Olav V in 1985. It is awarded to foreigners, Norwegian citizens livi ...

with star (3 November 2015) * Legion_Honneur_Commandeur_ribbon

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 ...

GER Bundeswehr Honour Cross Silver ribbon

Silver Cross of Honour of the

Badge of Honour of the Bundeswehr The Decorations of Honour of the Bundeswehr (german: Ehrenzeichen der Bundeswehr) are a series of military decorations of the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. These honours and awards were introduced in 1980 on the ...

BRA Ordem do Mérito Aeronáutico Grande Oficial

Grand Officer of the Order of Aeronautical Merit * Us legion of merit officer rib

Officer of the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

NATO Non-Article 5 medal for ISAF * Commemorate Medal of the 100th anniversary of the Restoration of Lithuanian Armed Forces

Honours

*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 ...

(2016)

References

External links

Bydén's CV
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Byden, Micael Living people 1964 births Swedish Air Force generals People from Nordanstig Municipality Recipients of the Badge of Honour of the Bundeswehr Officers of the Legion of Merit Swedish air attachés Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences