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.

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