No matter how civilized the society may be, it will always strive to conquer the weak and gain more power. Violence at all times has been an important part of human life. A clear indicator of this fact is nothing but wars, of which there are countless in history. The use of military force took place for various reasons: it could be a territorial dispute, an unfavorable foreign policy, the availability of resources that others do not have, etc. An important role in the process of state confrontations is played, as we understand it, by the army of one or another power. In many countries, this sector has a long history. This determines the specifics of the formation and operation of certain units. An excellent example in this case is the army of Sweden. At one time, she was one of the strongest in Europe. Today , the Swedish army is a professional structure that uses in its activities the latest developments in the field of weapons and technology. At the same time, the Swedish army has many specific aspects in terms of professional activity.
Swedish Armed Forces: Features
The military sector of most states has a uniform structure. Differences exist only in some units. The rest of the armed forces of any country consist of land, naval and air forces. In Sweden, the army is represented in the same classic "trihedral" form. The main tasks of the armed forces of this country are to protect its territory and independence, as well as the rights and freedoms of its citizens. Thus, if you do not take into account the small features of the internal structure, in essence this structure has nothing different, for example, from the armed forces of Russia, Great Britain, France, etc.
Interesting facts about the Swedish Armed Forces
Despite the completely standard nature of the armed forces of the Swedish state, they have many specific aspects. For example, until 2010, troops were fully equipped due to compulsory draft. But, starting with the mentioned time stamp, the call is completely canceled. This led to a large personnel shortage in all branches of the armed forces. Many experts argue that this problem has not been completely resolved to this day.
As for the training of military personnel for the armed forces, it is carried out at the Karlberg Military Academy. This institution of higher education is located in a building that was once the royal residence. About three hundred young officers graduate from Karlberg Academy each year. It should also be noted that Sweden is an active participant in peacekeeping activities around the world. State representatives work within the framework of many UN and OSCE missions.
Swedish Army: Short Description
The armed forces of the state represented in the article, as mentioned above, consist of three components. One of them is the ground forces (army of Sweden). Their number is about 13 thousand people. The main task of the army is to protect the state. But, as we know, Sweden respects the relative military neutrality in the world. Therefore, the key objectives include training air defense forces and ground units.
Army Features
There are many interesting points that characterize the ground forces of Sweden.
- The state’s army is the main military bloc, which makes up about 70% of the total armed forces.
- Ground forces exist to prevent the occupation of the state during the war.
- In the structure of the army there is a royal guards unit.
- The Swedish army is subordinate to the Ministry of Defense.
- Command of the operational type (in wartime) is carried out by the commander in chief. In the course of daily activities, the army is coordinated by the army headquarters.
The history of the formation of the army
The Kingdom of Sweden is a fairly ancient state. The foundations of its statehood were laid in bloody wars. The history of the Swedish army is filled with many victories and defeats. The dawn of the military sector of the country occurred in the XVII century. By this time, the Swedish army was already one of the most formidable throughout Europe. She showed her effectiveness in the Thirty Years War, in which the kingdom gained significant territorial additions and dominance on the Baltic Sea. The manning of the army at that time was carried out at the expense of taxes levied from landowners. But, despite its “invincibility”, the army suffers a crushing defeat from the Russian troops near Poltava. Today, historians explain this fact by the incorrectly chosen strategy of the Swedish commanders. Otherwise, to understand how small, in comparison with the Swedish, the army of Peter the Great was able to win such a resounding victory throughout Europe, it is impossible.
The next bright historical stage is the Second World War. The difficult political situation in Europe forced the Swedish government to strengthen the military sector. This led to the fact that in 1945 this state was ready to confront not only Germany and its allies, but also the Soviet Union.
Ground forces structure
The Swedish army, the photo of which is presented in the article, incorporates units that are different in their combat missions and type of activity. Of course, the basis of the ground forces is the formation of infantry, artillery and, of course, tank troops. However, there are some features. For example, artillery is divided into field and anti-aircraft, which is in some way a feature of the Swedish army. There is also an auxiliary sector in its composition. It is represented by engineering troops, as well as units of logistics and communications. These units are responsible for the safety and performance of equipment, material support for military personnel, the availability of uninterrupted and secure communications inside the military apparatus. Thus, the Swedish army has a very competent and effective structure, which allows the whole sector of the armed forces to work without any problems.
Swedish army ranks
Contrary to many European trends, the armed forces of the state described in the article have a small gradation of ranks. The sergeant and rank and file in its structure contains only six basic ranks, namely:
- private;
- corporal and corporal;
- sergeant and senior sergeant;
- 2nd grade warrant officer.
A more extensive classification has in Sweden the general officers. It consists of four main sectors. The first is represented by the cadets. They are candidates for future officer positions. The next sector is the junior officers. These include warrant officers, lieutenants and captains. Senior officers are represented by majors, lieutenant colonels, colonels and first-level colonels. As for the top command of the army, it is represented by the following four ranks:
- Brigadier General
- major general and lieutenant general;
- Colonel General.
Thus, the gradation of the Swedish titles, as we see, is quite simple and concise. This largely eliminates confusion in the process of the entire formation.
Equipment and machinery
The uniform of the army of Sweden and the rest of the equipment consist of the most necessary things in the conditions of hostilities. The main field suit is the M-90 military kit. It is made in green and consists of a shirt, trousers, cap, thermal underwear, warm jacket, etc. The equipment of the Swedish army includes special individual packages for dressing, 0.7-liter flasks, various household items, such as a paired spoon and fork . As for weapons, the main adaptations of the ground forces are rifles, carbines, machine guns and machine guns. To date, representatives of the Swedish army use the following items:
- rifle 90C;
- machine gun 58V;
- machine gun 88;
- automatic carbine 5C / D.
It should be noted that most of the equipment that is in service with Sweden is a product of a national manufacturer. In other words, the country is fighting in its cars. The artillery sector is represented by the Swedish Archer self-propelled howitzer, as well as a 120 mm mortar. Tank forces are equipped with both national and foreign equipment, namely German, Finnish. The main tanks are the Leopard 2S and the Leopard 2A4. In addition to them, the arsenal of Sweden has a BMW CV9040 and Pbv 401A.
In the fight against tanks, the Swedish military is assisted by special AT4 grenade launchers and anti-tank guided missiles Rb 55, 56.
Royal guard
The fact that Sweden is a monarchy determines some of the structural features of the armed forces. A fairly significant role in the military sector is assigned to the royal guard.
These are special units that are part of a structure like the army of Sweden. The Life Guard regiment was formed in the 16th century. The main objective of the unit is to protect the Stockholm royal residence. The structure of the regiment contains units of infantry, cavalry and support. The personnel formation of the Life Guard is carried out at the expense of servicemen of other branches of the armed forces.
Guards are one of Sweden's calling cards. A large number of tourists visit Stockholm every year in the hope of seeing a ceremonial change of the guard.
Instead of a conclusion
So, we found out what the Swedish army is like. The structure, history and its technical equipment prove the professionalism of the military and the high combat potential of this sector. We hope that the real power in the conditions of the hostilities of the Swedish army will never have to be demonstrated.