Swedish Armed Forces
National military force of Sweden
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February 2024 | Sweden formally becomes a member of NATO, ending decades of military non-alignment and marking a significant geopolitical shift in the country's defense strategy. |
2023 | Finland joined NATO. |
2023 | Thomas Nilsson assumes leadership of the Swedish Military Intelligence and Security Service from 2023 onwards. |
2022 | Celebrated 500th anniversary of the Swedish Navy's continuous service. |
2022 | As a response to ongoing tensions with Russia, Sweden becomes a full member of NATO, ending its long-standing neutrality and fundamentally changing its military positioning. |
2022 | Swedish Army updated its operational formations graphic overview, indicating a potential reorganization or strategic restructuring of military units. |
2022 | Signed a mutual security deal with the United Kingdom. |
2022 | Sweden and the United Kingdom signed a mutual security deal, re-pledging support in case of attack. |
December 2022 | The Swedish defence forces announced plans to increase yearly conscripts to 10,000 by the end of 2035, motivated by personnel needs following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. |
June 29 2022 | Formally invited to become a member of NATO. |
June 29 2022 | Finland and Sweden were formally invited to become members of NATO. |
2021 | Swedish military withdrew from Afghanistan as NATO troops completed their 20-year mission. |
2020 | Swedish Armed Forces were planned to have a targeted personnel size as part of their organizational restructuring and modernization efforts. |
2020 | EU's mutual defence clause ceases to apply to the United Kingdom following Brexit. |
2019 | Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces acknowledged that the current defense budget was insufficient to implement the new defense structure, with the military only capable of fighting for a week at maximum capacity. |
2019 | Fully implemented volunteer system transformed the army to 7 maneuver battalions and 14 auxiliary battalions with a readiness of one week. The Home Guard was reduced to 22,000 soldiers. |
2019 | Lena Hallin takes over as director of the Swedish Military Intelligence and Security Service, leading the organization from 2019 to 2023. |
September 2019 | Muskö Naval Base was established as the headquarters of the Swedish Navy, relocating the administrative center from its previous location. |
August 2019 | Swedish government announced a bank tax specifically to fund increased military spending, responding to concerns about the armed forces' defense capabilities. |
2018 | Participated in Exercise Trident Juncture, a significant NATO training exercise. |
January 1 2018 | Sweden reintroduced conscription, requiring both male and female citizens to potentially serve in the military, marking a significant change in military personnel recruitment policy. |
2017 | The conscription system was re-activated in Sweden after being discontinued in 2010. |
2017 | Conscription was reintroduced, now applying to both men and women, to supplement insufficient volunteer military service. |
2017 | Conscription is reintroduced, now applying to both men and women, in response to growing concerns about Russia's military buildup. |
March 2 2017 | Government announced the reinstatement of conscription, planning to select 4,000 conscripts from a pool of 13,000 men and women born in 1999. |
2015 | Swedish military began participation in the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan. |
2015 | Sweden continued military involvement in Afghanistan through the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission. |
2014 | Swedish Army begins expanding due to increasing threat from the Russian Federation following Russia's attack on Ukraine, marking a strategic shift in military preparedness. |
2014 | The Chief of Army (Arméchef, AC) position was reinstated, reestablishing a dedicated leadership role for the Swedish Army. |
2014 | Swedish Army transitions from conscription-based recruitment to a professional all-volunteer defence organisation, moving away from the Cold War era mass army model. |
2014 | Swedish military concluded its initial deployment with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. |
2013 | Swedish Army reached an all-time low of 16,000 soldiers, three years after the end of conscription. |
2013 | The Swedish Armed Forces issued a statement that their reorganization would only suffice for a reasonable defense of Swedish territory for one week, highlighting significant limitations in the army's defensive capabilities. |
2013 | Following Russian air exercises near the Swedish border, only six percent of Swedes expressed confidence in the nation's ability to defend itself. |
2013 | Saab signed an agreement with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration for 60 new Gripen E fighter jets, marking a significant modernization of the Swedish Air Force's fighter fleet. |
2012 | Gunnar Karlson becomes the director of the Swedish Military Intelligence and Security Service, serving from 2012 to 2019. |
2011 | Planned annual recruitment target of approximately 4,000 persons for Continuous Military Service Personnel (GSS) established. |
2011 | The Swedish Armed Forces began implementing a new planned size and structure for their military personnel between 2011 and 2020, signaling a strategic reorganization of their military force. |
2011 | Planned personnel composition included 3,900 continuously serving Officers, 2,600 part-time Officers, 4,900 Non-Commissioned Officers, 6,600 continuously serving Professional Soldiers, 9,500 part-time Professional Soldiers, and 22,000 Home Guard members. |
2011 | The Home Guard is set to have 22,000 contracted personnel as part of the national defense strategy. |
2010 | Swedish naval ship served as the EUNAVFOR flagship, housing the fleet headquarters led by RAdm (LH) Jan Thörnqvist. |
2010 | Universal male conscription system ended and conscription was deactivated in peacetime. |
2010 | Sweden ended the universal male conscription system and deactivated conscription in peacetime. |
2010 | National service was replaced by a selective service system, resulting in the Swedish Army reducing to 2 battalions that could be mobilized within 90 days. |
2010 | Military conscription system was deactivated. |
2010 | Conscription system was deactivated after the end of the Cold War and downsizing of armed forces. |
This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Swedish Military Intelligence and Security Service, Swedish Armed Forces, Swedish Army, Swedish Air Force & Swedish Navy, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.