Editing Swedish Armed Forces (section)

== Personnel ==
=== From national service to an all-volunteer force ===
In mid-1995, with the national service system based on universal military training, the Swedish Army consisted of 15 maneuver brigades and, in addition, 100 battalions of various sorts (artillery, engineers, rangers, air defence, amphibious, security, surveillance etc.) with a mobilization-time of between one and two days. When national service was replaced by a selective service system, fewer and fewer young men were drafted due to the reduction in size of the armed forces. By 2010 the Swedish Army had two battalions that could be mobilized within 90 days. When the volunteer system had been fully implemented by 2019, the army consisted of 7 maneuver battalions and 14 battalions of various sorts with a readiness of one week. The Home Guard was reduced in size to 22,000 soldiers.<ref name="hv0702no1Facts">{{cite journal |last=Ivarsson |first=Ulf |title=Pendeln måste slå tillbaka |trans-title=The pendulum must swing back |language=sv |journal=Hemvärnet |page=5 |issue=1 |date=February 2007}}</ref> In 2019 the Swedish Armed Forces, now with a restored national service system combined with volunteer forces, aimed to reach 3 brigades as maneuver units by 2025.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.dn.se/nyheter/politik/forsvarsberedningen-foreslar-fyra-nya-regementen-och-utokad-verksamhet-pa-flera-platser/ |title=Försvarsberedningen föreslår fyra nya regementen och utökad verksamhet på flera platser |trans-title=The Defence Committee proposes four new regiments and expanded operations in several places |language=sv |date=14 May 2019 |newspaper=[[Dagens Nyheter]] |access-date=14 May 2019}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|
! National Service Force 1995 || Selective Service Force 2010 || All-Volunteer Force 2019 || Selective Service Force/Volunteer Force 2025
|- style="text-align:right;"
|align=left| Maneuver units || 15 brigades || 2 battalions || 7 battalions || 3 brigades
|- style="text-align:right;"
|align=left| Auxiliary units || 100 battalions || 4 companies || 14 battalions || ?
|- style="text-align:right;"
|align=left| Readiness || 1 to 2 days || 90 days || 7 days || ?
|}
{{Clear}}

=== Re-implementing conscription ===
After having ended the universal male conscription system in 2010, as well as deactivating conscription in peacetime, the conscription system was re-activated in 2017. Since 2018 both women and men are conscripted on equal terms.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Persson |first1=Alma |last2=Sundevall |first2=Fia |date=17 December 2019 |title=Conscripting women: gender, soldiering, and military service in Sweden 1965–2018 |journal=[[Women's History Review]] |volume=28 |issue=7 |pages=1039–1056 |doi=10.1080/09612025.2019.1596542 |issn=0961-2025 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The motivation behind reactivating conscription was the need for personnel, as volunteer numbers proved to be insufficient to maintain the armed forces.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sweden-military/sweden-returns-draft-amid-security-worries-and-soldier-shortage-idUSKBN1690ND |title=Sweden returns draft amid security worries and soldier shortage |first1=Daniel |last1=Dickson |first2=Bjorn |last2=Rundstrom |name-list-style=amp |date=2 March 2017 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>

The Swedish defence forces are currently educating 5,000-6,000 conscripts per year.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.fokus.se/aktuellt/peter-hultqvist-s-oka-antalet-varnpliktiga-fran-5-000-till-8-000/ | title=Peter Hultqvist (S): Öka antalet värnpliktiga från 5 000 till 8 000 | newspaper=Fokus | date=13 January 2020 }}</ref> However, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the defence forces stated that there is a need for significantly more than the current.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tv4.se/artikel/6OHMDde5ivjXG7FDgrfiR/befael-inom-foersvaret-vi-behoever-fler-vaernpliktiga | title=TV4.se | date=12 March 2022 }}</ref> By December 2022, it was announced to increase the yearly conscripted to 10,000 by the end of 2035.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.svt.se/nyheter/snabbkollen/mal-10-000-varnpliktiga-fore-2035 | title=Mål: 10 000 värnpliktiga före 2036 | newspaper=SVT Nyheter | date=23 December 2022 }}</ref> In addition, figures from 2022 show that 79% of Swedes support in some form, an increase in the number of people who are conscripted. 47% of the respondents said that the majority of 19/20 year-olds should perform conscription.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tv4.se/artikel/3r6iEcGocIDUSsJTn1FOUm/sifo-en-majoritet-av-svenskarna-vill-att-fler-goer-vaernplikten | title=TV4.se | date=17 March 2022 }}</ref>

=== Personnel structure ===
[[File:Swedish pvt and CV90-40C in California.jpg|thumb|Swedish soldier during an exercise in [[California]], 2007.]]
Military personnel of the Swedish Armed Forces consists of:

*Officer OFF/K – Regular continuously serving officers (OF1-OF9).
*Officer OFF/T – Reserve part-time officers (OF1-OF3).
*Specialistofficer SO/K – Regular continuously serving NCO (OR6-OR9).
*Specialistofficer SO/T – Reserve part-time serving NCO (OR6-OR7). 
*GSS/K – Regular continuously serving enlisted (OR1-OR5). 
*GSS/T – Reserve part-time serving enlisted (OR1-OR5).
*GSS/P – Personnel in wartime placement (OR1-OR5).

K = Continuously

T = Part-time
[[File:Holstebro Øvelsesplads 2106 160523-A-RJ696-059 (26790201094).jpg|thumb|Swedish soldier firing a rifle in [[Denmark]], 2016.]]
P = Conscript, for personnel drafted under the Swedish law of comprehensive defence duty

=== Planned size of the Swedish Armed Forces 2011–2020 ===
{| class="wikitable" width=50% |
|- bgcolor="F1F1F1"
! align="left" width="160" | Category 
! align="left" width="160" | Continuously serving 
! align="left" width="160" | Part-time serving
! align="left" width="160" | Contracted
|-
| OFF || 3,900 OFF/K || 2,600 OFF/T || –
|-
| SO || 4,900 SO/K || <small>''included in the above''</small> SO/T || –
|-
| GSS || 6,600 GSS/K || 9,500 GSS/T || –
|-
| [[Home Guard (Sweden)|Home Guard]] || – || – || 22,000
|}
[[File:Svenska-försvaret-1965-2010.gif|thumb|300px|Chart showing the size of the Swedish Armed Forces 1965–2010. Yellow = number of air wings; Blue = number of infantry regiments; Red = number of artillery regiments; Green = number of coastal artillery and amphibious regiments.]]Annual recruitment of GSS is assumed to be about 4,000 persons.<ref>{{cite report |url=https://kkrva.se/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/FOI-Frivilliga-soldater.pdf |title=Frivilliga soldater istället för plikt – internationella erfarenheter och ekonomiska konsekvenser |trans-title=From conscription to an all-volunteer force – international experiences and economic consequences |language=sv |first1=Ulf |last1=Jonsson |first2=Peter |last2=Nordlund |date=November 2012 |publisher=The Swedish Defence Research Agency |via=[[Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences]]}}</ref>

=== Criticism and research ===
In 2008, professor [[Mats Alvesson]] of the [[University of Lund]] and Karl Ydén of the [[University of Gothenburg]] claimed in an [[op-ed]], based on Ydén's [[doctoral dissertation]], that a large part of the [[officer corps]] of the Swedish Armed Forces was preoccupied with administrative tasks instead of training soldiers or partaking in international operations. They claimed that Swedish officers were mainly focused on climbing the ranks and thereby increasing their wages and that the main way of doing this is to take more training courses, which decreases the number of officers that are specialized in their field. Therefore, the authors claimed, the Swedish Armed Forces were poorly prepared for their mission.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.dn.se/debatt/karriarstyrda-officerare-skapar-inkompetent-forsvar/ |title=Karriärstyrda officerare skapar inkompetent försvar |trans-title=Career-driven officers create an incompetent defence |language=sv |date=6 November 2008 |newspaper=[[Dagens Nyheter]] |access-date=28 March 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114190543/http://www.dn.se/debatt/karriarstyrda-officerare-skapar-inkompetent-forsvar |archive-date=14 November 2012}}</ref> Major changes have been made to the officer system since then.{{citation needed|date=June 2019}}

The transformation of the old invasion defence-oriented armed forces to the new smaller and more mobile force has also been criticized. According to the [[Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces]] the present defence budget will not be enough to implement the new defence structure by 2019. And that even when finished the armed forces will only be able to fight for a week at most.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/forsvar-med-tidsgrans_7789308.svd |title=Försvar med tidsgräns |trans-title=Defence with a time limit |language=sv |first=Mikael |last=Holmström |date=2012-12-30 |newspaper=[[Svenska Dagbladet]] |access-date=25 February 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150323232126/http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/forsvar-med-tidsgrans_7789308.svd |archive-date=23 March 2015}}</ref>

During 2013 several [[Russian Air Force]] exercises over the [[Baltic Sea]] aimed at Swedish military targets have made 
the future of the Swedish Armed Forces a hot topic and several political parties now want to increase defence funding.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/ryska-bombflyg-ovade-mot-sverige_8698898.svd |title=Ryska bombflyg övade mot Sverige |trans-title=Russian bombers practiced against Sweden |language=sv |date=2013-11-06 |agency=TT |newspaper=[[Svenska Dagbladet]] |access-date=25 February 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415032441/http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/ryska-bombflyg-ovade-mot-sverige_8698898.svd |archive-date=15 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/ryskt-flyg-ovade-anfall-mot-sverige_8108894.svd |title=Ryskt flyg övade anfall mot Sverige |trans-title=Russian aircraft practiced attacks on Sweden |language=sv |first=Mikael |last=Holmström |date=2013-04-22 |newspaper=[[Svenska Dagbladet]] |access-date=25 February 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150323232149/http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/ryskt-flyg-ovade-anfall-mot-sverige_8108894.svd |archive-date=23 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article17628436.ab |title=Majoritet vill rusta militärt mot Ryssland |trans-title=Majority wants to equip military against Russia |language=sv |first=Nivette |last=Dawod |date=10 October 2013 |newspaper=[[Aftonbladet]] |access-date=25 February 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225044425/http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article17628436.ab |archive-date=25 February 2015}}</ref> In August 2019, the government announced a bank tax to fund the military spending.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20190901-sweden-tax-banks-finance-military-spendings |title=Sweden announces bank tax to finance military spending |date=1 September 2019 |website=[[France 24]] |access-date=1 September 2019}}</ref>

=== Ranks ===
[[File:Lieutenant_General_Michael_Claesson,_Chief_of_the_Defense_Staff,_Armed_Forces_of_Sweden,_at_the_Pentagon,_Washington,_D.C.,January_22,_2024_(cropped).jpg|thumb|Gen. [[Michael Claesson]], the [[Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces]].]]

{{Main|Military ranks of the Swedish Armed Forces}}

When an [[army]] based on national service ([[conscription]]) was introduced in 1901 all [[commissioned officers]] had ranks that were senior of the [[Warrant officer|warrant officers]] (''underofficerare'') and [[Non-commissioned officer|non-commissioned officers]] (''underbefäl''). In a reform 1926 the relative rank of the then [[senior warrant officer]], fanjunkare, was increased to be equal with the [[junior officer]] rank ''[[underlöjtnant]]'' and above the most junior officer rank ''fänrik''. In 1960 the relative rank of the [[Warrant officer|warrant officers]] were elevated further so that

*i. The [[lowest warrant officer]], ''sergeant'', had relative rank just below the lowest officer rank, fänrik.
*ii. [[The second warrant officer rank]], ''fanjunkare'', had relative rank between fänrik and löjtnant
*iii. [[The highest warrant officer rank]], ''förvaltare'', had relative rank between first lieutenant and captain.

In 1972 the personnel structure changed, reflecting increased responsibilities of warrant and non-commissioned officers, renaming the ''underofficerare'' as ''kompaniofficerare'', giving them the same ranks as company grade officers (''fänrik'', ''löjtnant'', ''[[kapten]]''). ''Underbefäl'' was renamed ''plutonsofficerare'' and given the rank titles of sergeant and ''fanjunkare'', although their relative rank were now placed below ''fänrik''. The commissioned officers were renamed ''regementsofficerare'', beginning with ''löjtnant''. The three-track career system was maintained, as well as three separate messes.

A major change in the personnel structure in 1983 (NBO 1983), merged the three professional corps of platoon officers, company officers, and regimental officers into a one-track career system within a single corps called professional officers (''yrkesofficerare''). The three messes were also merged to one.

In 2008 the [[Riksdag]] decided to create a two-track career system with a category called ''specialistofficerare''. When implementing the parliamentary resolution the Supreme Commander decided that some ranks in this category should, like the old ''underofficerare'' ranks in 1960–1972, have a relative rank higher than the most junior officers.