Defence Staff (Sweden)

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The Defence Staff was located at Östermalmsgatan 87 in Stockholm until 1981.
It was located at Lidingövägen 24 from 1981 to 1994.

The Defence Staff (Swedish: Försvarsstaben, abbreviated Fst) was a Swedish government agency established in 1937 and was active until 1994. Initially the tasks of the Defence Staff was limited to the overall military strategic and operational issues as well as to the central operational command of army forces. In 1961 a central operational command was added for the navy and air force.[1] The Defence Staff was in 1994 merged with the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters.

History

The Defence Staff was established on 1 July 1937 (SFS 1937:667) with the task of planning the use of the national defense funds and for the military branches perform the joint war preparations and to promote coherence and synergy between military branches. The Defence Staff was organized in 10 departments, army operational, navy operational, air force operational, military signals, cryptography, air defense, communications, intelligence, war history and photo department. In 1942 the first major reorganization took place. The Defence Staff became the Supreme Commander's (ÖB) staff, organized in three sections, as well as an naval and an aviation department (later to section 1). Section 1 comprised six departments: army, quartermaster, air defense, communications, signaling, service and photo department. Section 2 comprised three departments: Foreign affairs, interior affairs and war history department and section 3 two departments: the press and film as well as the staff welfare department.[2]

Next thorough reorganization of the Defence Staff occurred in 1961. An operation management (OPL 1 for studies, OPL 2 for war planning and OPL 3 for preparedness and exercises), four sections, one administrative and information department and a staff welfare bureau was formed. Section 1 comprised four departments, public, communication, military signals and quartermaster department, section 2 three departments: attaché, intelligence and interior department, section 3 two departments: the press and film and war history department, section 4 budget detail and two departments, research - and the planning department. An EDP office in section 1 was established in 1965 (later the EDP department). In 1968 the Total Defense Signal Security Department (Totalförsvarets signalskyddsavdelning) was added (formely the National Signal Security Commission (Statens signalskyddsnämnd)).[2]

The Defence Staff was again reorganized in 1980 with an operating department, six operational sections, a planning department with the four planning sections, an administrative section and an information department. The agency, known as The Supreme Commander (Överbefälhavaren), according to instructions (SFS 1983:276), is exercising the leadership of the nations military defense and related operational activities. The Defence Staff that since 1 July 1981 was named Överbefälhavaren, was in connection with the Swedish Armed Forces restructuring on 1 July 1994 merged with the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters (Högkvarteret, HKV).[2]

Chiefs of the Defence Staff

Rank and name Branch Period Notes
Major General Olof Thörnell Army 1936–1939 Acting until 1937, Supreme Commander 1939-1944
Major General Axel Rappe Army 1939–1941
Colonel Samuel Lars Åkerhielm Army 1941–1942 Acting
Major General Axel Bredberg Army 1942–1945
Major General Carl August Ehrensvärd Army 1945–1947
Major General Nils Swedlund Army 1947–1951 Supreme Commander 1951–1961
Major General Richard Åkerman Army 1951–1957
Major General Curt Göransson Army 1957–1961
Major General Carl Eric Almgren Army 1961–1967
Lieutenant General Stig Synnergren Army 1967–1970 Supreme Commander 1970–1978
Lieutenant General Bo Westin Navy 1970–1972
Lieutenant General Gunnar Eklund Navy 1972–1976
Lieutenant General Lennart Ljung Army 1976–1978 Supreme Commander 1978–1986
Vice Admiral Bengt Schuback Navy 1978–1982
Vice Admiral Bror Stefenson Navy 1982–1987
Lieutenant General Torsten Engberg Navy 1987–1991
Lieutenant General Owe Wiktorin Air Force 1991–1992 Supreme Commander 1994–2000
Vice Admiral Peter Nordbeck Navy 1992–1994

References

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