Chief of the Defence Staff (Sweden)

For the post between 2007 and 2022, see Chief of Defence Staff (Sweden).

The Chief of the Defence Staff (Swedish: Chefen för försvarsstaben, C FST, or Försvarsstabschef) is the second most senior uniformed member of the Swedish Armed Forces (after the Chief of Defence) and heads the Defence Staff. The Chief of the Defence Staff reports to the Chief of Defence and serves as their chief of staff.^[1]

Chief of the Defence Staff
Chefen för försvarsstaben
Incumbent LtGen Carl-Johan Edström since 1 October 2024
Ministry of Defence
Type	Chief of the Defence Staff
Abbreviation	C FST
Reports to	Chief of Defence
Seat	Armed Forces Headquarters
Term length	No fixed term
Precursor	Chief of the General Staff (1st incarnation) Chief of Defence Staff (2nd incarnation)
Formation	1 July 1937 (1st incarnation) 1 January 2023 (2nd incarnation)
First holder	MajGen Olof Thörnell
Final holder	VAdm Peter Nordbeck (1st incarnation) VAdm Jonas Haggren (2nd incarnation)
Abolished	1993
Unofficial names	Försvarsstabschef
Deputy	Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff

History

The position was created in 1937 as a successor to the Chief of the General Staff which was abolished the same year. The position was held by a senior member of one of the three main branches of the Swedish Armed Forces until 1993 when the position was abolished when the Defence Staff was disbanded. Between 2007 and 2022, the Ledningsstaben (LEDS) in the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters was called the Defence Staff in English and was commanded by the Chief of Defence Staff (Chefen för ledningsstaben, C LEDS). The Chief of the Defence Staff position was re-established on 1 January 2023 after the Defence Staff (Ledningsstaben, LEDS) was abolished.

Tasks

The Chief of the Defence Staff serves as the Chief of Defence's chief of staff. In this role, the Chief of the Defence Staff, under the Chief of Defence, is responsible for coordinating strategic planning and military strategic command, and for ensuring that all matters, inquiries, and tasks submitted to the authority are processed and prepared as their nature requires. This responsibility includes coordinating activities within the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters, as well as ensuring that decisions made by the authority's leadership are implemented, monitored, and that results are reported back to the leadership.^[2]

Chiefs of the Defence Staff

No.	Portrait	Chief of the Defence Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch	Chief of Defence[a]	Ref.
1937–1993
1		Thörnell, OlofLieutenant general Olof Thörnell (1877–1977)	1 July 1937[b]	December 1939[c]	1–2 years	Army	–	[3]
2		Bredberg, AxelMajor general Axel Bredberg (1884–1960)	1 July 1942	15 November 1945[d]	1 year, 204 days	Army	Olof Thörnell Helge Jung	[9][7][8]
-		Ehrensvärd, Carl AugustMajor general Carl August Ehrensvärd (1892–1974) Acting	22 January 1944	15 November 1945	1 year, 297 days	Army	Olof Thörnell Helge Jung	[7][8]
3		Ehrensvärd, Carl AugustMajor general Carl August Ehrensvärd (1892–1974)	15 November 1945	30 April 1947	3 years, 98 days	Army	Helge Jung	[9][8]
4		Swedlund, NilsMajor general Nils Swedlund (1898–1965)	1 April 1947[e]	1 April 1951	4 years, 0 days	Army	Helge Jung	[10]
5		Åkerman, RichardMajor general Richard Åkerman (1898–1981)	1 April 1951	30 September 1957	6 years, 182 days	Army	Nils Swedlund	[11]
-		Göransson, CurtMajor general Curt Göransson (1909–1996) Acting	1 April 1957	30 September 1957	182 days	Army	Nils Swedlund	[12][13]
6		Göransson, CurtMajor general Curt Göransson (1909–1996)	1 October 1957	30 September 1961	3 years, 364 days	Army	Nils Swedlund	[13]
7		Almgren, Carl EricMajor general Carl Eric Almgren (1913–2001)	1 October 1961	30 March 1967	5 years, 180 days	Army	Torsten Rapp	[12][14]
8		Synnergren, StigLieutenant general Stig Synnergren (1915–2004)	1 April 1967	30 September 1970	3 years, 182 days	Army	Torsten Rapp	[14][15]
9		Westin, BoLieutenant general Bo Westin (1913–2009)	1 October 1970	30 September 1972	1 year, 365 days	Navy (Coastal Artillery)	Stig Synnergren	[15][16]
10		Eklund, GunnarLieutenant general Gunnar Eklund (1920–2010)	1 October 1972	30 September 1976	3 years, 365 days	Navy (Coastal Artillery)	Stig Synnergren	[16][17]
10		Ljung, LennartLieutenant general Lennart Ljung (1921–1990)	1 October 1976	30 September 1978	1 year, 364 days	Army	Stig Synnergren	[17][18]
11		Schuback, BengtVice admiral Bengt Schuback (1928–2015)	1 October 1978	30 September 1982	3 years, 364 days	Navy	Ola Ullsten Lennart Ljung	[18][19]
12		Stefenson, BrorVice admiral Bror Stefenson (1929–2018)	1 October 1982	31 March 1987	4 years, 181 days	Navy	Lennart Ljung Bengt Gustafsson	[19][20]
13		Engberg, TorstenLieutenant general Torsten Engberg (1934–2018)	1 April 1987	30 June 1991	4 years, 90 days	Navy (Coastal Artillery)	Bengt Gustafsson	[20][21]
14		Wiktorin, OweLieutenant general Owe Wiktorin (born 1940)	1 July 1991	30 September 1992	0–1 years	Air Force	Bengt Gustafsson	[21][22]
15		Nordbeck, PeterVice admiral Peter Nordbeck (born 1938)	1 October 1992	1993	0–1 years	Navy	Bengt Gustafsson	[22]
2023–present
1		Claesson, MichaelLieutenant general Michael Claesson (born 1965)	1 January 2023	30 September 2024	1 year, 273 days	Army	Micael Bydén	[23]
2		Edström, Carl-JohanLieutenant general Carl-Johan Edström (born 1967)	1 October 2024	Incumbent	144 days	Air Force	Michael Claesson	[24]

Vice Chiefs of the Defence Staff

No.	Portrait	Vice/Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff	Title	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch	Chief of Defence[a]	Ref.
1		Rappe, AxelMajor general Axel Rappe (1884–1945)	Deputy Chief (Ställföreträdande chef)	15 December 1939	31 March 1941	1 year, 106 days	Army	Olof Thörnell	[f]
2		Åkerhielm, SamuelColonel Samuel Åkerhielm (1887–1976)	Deputy Chief	3 March 1941	1941	0 years	Army	Olof Thörnell	[g]
3		Ehrensvärd, Carl AugustColonel Carl August Ehrensvärd (1892–1974)	Vice Chief (Souschef)	1942	1944	1–2 years	Army	Olof Thörnell	[27]
4		Swedlund, NilsColonel Nils Swedlund (1898–1965)	Vice Chief	1 January 1944	31 March 1946	2 years, 89 days	Army	Helge Jung	[10]
5		Bonde, ThordColonel Thord Bonde (1900–1969)	Vice Chief	1946	1950	3–4 years	Army	Helge Jung	[h]
6		Östberg, MojeCaptain Moje Östberg (1897–1984)	Vice Chief	1950	1951	0–1 years	Navy	Helge Jung	[31]
7		Myhrman, SamColonel Sam Myhrman (1912–1965)	Vice Chief	1956	1960	3–4 years	Army	Nils Swedlund	[32]
8		Mangård, ÅkeColonel Åke Mangård (1917–1998)	Vice Chief	1960	1961	0–1 years	Air Force	Nils Swedlund	[33]
9		Arvas, DagCaptain Dag Arvas (1913–2004)	Vice Chief	1961	1964	2–3 years	Navy	Torsten Rapp	[34]
10		Lundvall, BengtCaptain Bengt Lundvall (1915–2010)	Vice Chief	1964	1966	1–2 years	Navy	Torsten Rapp	[35]
11		Westin, BoMajor general Bo Westin (1913–2009)	Vice Chief	1966	1968	1–2 years	Navy (Coastal Artillery)	Torsten Rapp	[36]
12		Stenberg, DickMajor general Dick Stenberg (1921–2004)	Vice Chief	1 October 1968	1 April 1970	1 year, 182 days	Air Force	Torsten Rapp	[37]
13		Palmstierna, Nils-FredrikMajor general[i] Nils-Fredrik Palmstierna (1919–1990)	Vice Chief	1 April 1970	1973	2–3 years	Air Force	Stig Synnergren	[38][15]
14		Olson, Sven-OlofMajor general Sven-Olof Olson (1926–2021)	Vice Chief	1973	1977	3–4 years	Air Force	Stig Synnergren	[39]
15		Schuback, BengtRear admiral Bengt Schuback (1928–2015)	Vice Chief	1 July 1977	30 September 1978	1 year, 91 days	Navy	Stig Synnergren	[40][18]
16		Lehander, BengtMajor general Bengt Lehander (1925–1994)	Vice Chief	1 October 1978	30 September 1982	3 years, 364 days	Air Force	Lennart Ljung	[40][19]
17		Persson, Lars-BertilMajor general Lars-Bertil Persson (born 1934)	Deputy Chief[41]	1 October 1982	1986	3–4 years	Air Force	Lennart Ljung	[19][41]
18		Wiktorin, OweMajor general Owe Wiktorin (born 1940)	Deputy Chief[42]	1986	30 June 1991	4–5 years	Air Force	Bengt Gustafsson	[42][21]
2023–present
1		Nykvist, JensRear admiral Jens Nykvist (born 1968)	Deputy Chief	1 July 2023	Incumbent	1 year, 266 days	Navy	Micael Bydén Michael Claesson	[43]

See also

• Chief of the General Staff (1873–1937)
• Chief of Defence Staff (2007–2022)

Footnotes

1. Supreme Commander 1937–2024, Chief of Defence 2024–present.
2. On 1 July 1936, the then Inspector General of the Infantry, Major General Olof Thörnell, was promoted to lieutenant general and at the same time appointed Chief of the Defence Staff. Thörnell now began the organization work. On 1 July 1937, the new staff gathered and the Chief of Defence Staff took command.^[3]
3. On 8 December 1939, Thörnell was appointed Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces^[4] without at the same time appointing a new Chief of the Defence Staff.^[5] After Thörnell's appointment as Supreme Commander for the mobilized elements of the armed forces in December 1939, Major General Axel Rappe was appointed Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff. This meant that Rappe in reality served as Chief of the Defence Staff.^[6]
4. Bredberg was granted a leave of absence on 21 January 1944.^[7] He did not return to the post but officially left the post on 15 November 1945 when he was appointed military commander of the V Military District.^[8]
5. Appointed on 25 February.^[10]
6. During the winter of 1939, when Axel Rappe was commanding officer of the Svea Artillery Regiment in Stockholm, he was made available for service to the Chief of the Defence Staff. After Olof Thörnell's appointment as Supreme Commander for the mobilized elements of the armed forces in December 1939, Rappe was appointed Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff. This meant that Rappe in reality served as Chief of the Defence Staff.^[6]
7. Furtenbach (1964) states that Åkerhielm relieved Rappe of command on 3 March 1941^[25] while Cronenberg (1995-1997) states that Rappe served until 31 March 1941.^[6] Harnesk (1948) states that Åkerhielm served as Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff no longer than 1941.^[26] Furthermore, Furtenbach (1964) states that Åkerhielm was major general while Harnesk (1948) states that Åkerhielm was promoted to major general in 1942, a year after serving as Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff.
8. According to Lagerström (1968)^[28] and other sources,^[29] Bonde was appointed Vice Chief of the Defence Staff in 1946 and his next appointment was as second-in-command of the Svea Life Guards (I 1) in 1950. However, between these postings, Bonde held the position as Chief of Staff of United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) from May 1948 to July 1948.^[30]
9. Palmstierna was colonel when taking office on 1 April and was promoted to major general on 1 October the same year.^[15]

References

Notes

1. Interna bestämmelser 2023, pp. 5, 14
2. Interna bestämmelser 2023, p. 14
3. Furtenbach 1964, pp. 9, 11
4. "Överbefälhavare i historien" (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. Archived from the original on 4 May 2019. Retrieved 2014-10-24.
5. Jarmar 2005, p. 71
6. Cronenberg 1995–1997, p. 694
7. "Tre nya generaler utnämnda". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). 21 January 1944. p. 8. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
8. "Chefen för försvarsstaben". Söderhamns Tidning (in Swedish). 17 November 1945. p. 8. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
9. Furtenbach 1964, p. 27
10. Zetterberg 2014, p. 542
11. Furtenbach 1964, p. 42
12. Furtenbach 1964, p. 44
13. Furtenbach 1964, p. 49
14. Skoglund 2009, p. 123
15. GHT 1970, p. 5.
16. SvD 1972, p. 1.
17. GP 1975, p. 26.
18. DN 1978, p. 1.
19. DN 1981, p. 8.
20. Falkkloo 1986, p. 18
21. SvD 1991, p. 16.
22. GP 1992, p. 16.
23. "Ny organisation i Försvarsmaktens högkvarter samt utnämningar" (in Swedish). Government Offices of Sweden. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
24. "Regeringen placerar generallöjtnant Carl-Johan Edström som ny chef för försvarsstaben" [The government appoints Lieutenant General Carl-Johan Edström as the new Chief of the Defence Staff] (Press release) (in Swedish). Ministry of Defence. 19 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
25. Furtenbach 1964, p. 33
26. Harnesk 1948, p. 614
27. "Tre nya generalmajorer, ny chef för försvarsstaben". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). No. 20. 22 January 1944. p. A7. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
28. Lagerström 1968, p. 124
29. "Thord Bonde 50 år". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 16 March 1950. p. 12A. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
30. UNTSO News Magazine 2008, p. 23
31. "Nye marinattachén i Washington". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 29 April 1951. p. 10A. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
32. Burling 1962, p. 759
33. Vem är det 1984, p. 758.
34. Uddling & Paabo 1992, p. 69
35. Vem är det 1984, p. 730.
36. Vem är det 1984, p. 1174.
37. Scheiderbauer 2007–2011, p. 225
38. Vem är det 1984, p. 877.
39. Vem är det 1984, p. 861.
40. Wennerholm 2015, p. 152
41. Spiegelberg 1984, p. 104
42. Bollman 1994, p. 7
43. Försvarets forum 2023, p. 6.

Print

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• Burling, Ingeborg, ed. (1962). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1963 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1963] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. SELIBR 9649168.
• Cronenberg, Arvid (1995–1997). "Axel O Rappe". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 29. National Archives of Sweden. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
• Davidsson, Åke, ed. (1966). Vem är vem?. 4, Skåne, Halland, Blekinge [Who is Who?. 4, Scania, Halland, Blekinge] (in Swedish) (2nd ed.). Stockholm: Vem är vem. SELIBR 53512.
• Furtenbach, Börje, ed. (1964). Aktuellt och Historiskt: Meddelanden från lmilitärhistoriska avdelningen vid kungl. militärhögskolan 1964 (PDF). Militärhistorisk tidskrift, 0283-8400 0283-8400 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Militärhistoriska avdelningen, Försvarsmakten. SELIBR s2pfv09xq2nfkc10.
• Harnesk, Paul, ed. (1948). Vem är vem?. D. 4, Skånedelen [Who's Who?. D. 4, Scania part] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Vem är vem bokförlag. SELIBR 8198272.
• Jarmar, Håkan (2005). Wedin, Lars; Åselius, Gunnar (eds.). "Torsten Rapp som ÖB: En studie av maktens fördelning inom det militära försvaret under 1960-talet". Militärhistorisk tidskrift. 2005 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Militärhistoriska avdelningen, Försvarshögskolan. ISSN 0283-8400. SELIBR 10098614.
• Lagerström, Sten, ed. (1968). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1969 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1969] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. SELIBR 3681519.
• Scheiderbauer, Sven (2007–2011). "Dick Stenberg". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 33. National Archives of Sweden. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
• Skoglund, Claës (2009). Det bästa försvarsbeslut som aldrig kom till stånd: ett kontrafaktiskt uppslag (PDF). Publikation / Försvaret och det kalla kriget (FOKK), 1652-5388 ; 17 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Svenskt militärhistoriskt bibliotek. ISBN 9789185789573. SELIBR 11704940. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2018.
• Spiegelberg, Christina, ed. (1984). Sveriges statskalender. 1984 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Liber. ISBN 91-38-90400-4. SELIBR 3682782.
• Uddling, Hans; Paabo, Katrin, eds. (1992). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1993 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1993] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. ISBN 91-1-914072-X. SELIBR 8261513.
• Wennerholm, Bertil, ed. (2015). Så kom JAS-projektet till: vittnesseminarium kring beslutsprocessen om JAS 39 1979-1983 : 11 november 2013. Forskningsprojektet Försvaret och det kalla kriget (FOKK), 1652-5388 ; 45 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Forskningsprojektet Försvaret och det kalla kriget (FoKK. ISBN 9789198049886. SELIBR 18205009.
• Zetterberg, Kent (2014). "Nils Per Robert Swedlund". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 34. National Archives of Sweden. p. 542. Retrieved 2017-12-15.
• Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1985 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1985] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1984. ISBN 91-1-843222-0. SELIBR 3681527.
• "UNITED NATIONS TRUCE SUPERVISION ORGANISATION 60th ANNIVERSARY" (PDF). UNTSO News Magazine. United Nations. 2008. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
• Försvarets traditioner i framtiden med översiktlig historik från 1500-talet (PDF) (in Swedish). Statens försvarshistoriska museer TradN. 2015. ISBN 9789197859554. SELIBR 17552963. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 April 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
• "Synnergren ny ÖB Lundvall marinchef". Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning (in Swedish). TT. 10 January 1970. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
• "Nya stabschefer". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 4 March 1972. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
• Persson, Roland (5 December 1975). "Synnergren kvarstår Sköld ny arméchef". Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Stockholm. TT. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
• Holmberg, Mats (10 February 1978). "Nye försvarsstabschefen: Kvinnor för dyra". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). No. 39. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
• "Ledningen möbleras om". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). No. 312. 17 November 1981. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
• Falkkloo, Bengt (19 December 1986). "Ny chef på staben". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). No. 344. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
• "Owe Wiktorin". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 28 June 1991. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
• "Ny chef för Fst". Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). 30 April 1992. Retrieved 24 April 2020.

• "PÅ NY POST" (PDF). Försvarets forum: Personaltidning för fast anställda och reservofficerare i svenska försvarsmakten (in Swedish) (4). Stockholm: Försvarets forum. 2023. SELIBR 4109339.

Web

• "Försvarsmaktens interna bestämmelser om ändring av Försvarsmaktens interna bestämmelser (FIB 2022:6) med arbetsordning för Försvarsmakten" (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Swedish Armed Forces. 20 December 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2024.