Finally an honest but funny military recruitment video from the swedish armed forces. The Swedish Armed Forces (Swedish: Försvarsmakten) is a Swedish Government Agency responsible for the maintenance and operation of the armed forces of Sweden. The primary task of the Swedish Armed Forces is to train, organize and deploy military forces, domestically and abroad, while maintaining the long-term ability to defend the country in the event of war. The Armed Forces consists of three service branches; the Army, the Air Force and the Navy. Since 1994, the three service branches are organized within a single unified government agency, headed by the Supreme Commander. However, the services maintain their separate identities through the use of different uniforms, ranks, and other service specific traditions. Sweden's military forces were for over a century built upon the concepts of conscription and territorial defence, supporting the longstanding national policy of non-alignment. Until the end of the Cold War nearly all men reaching the age of military service were conscripted. In 2010, peacetime conscription was abolished, to be replaced with an all-volunteer force. The transfer to the new system is planned to be fully completed in 2018. Units from the Swedish Armed Forces are currently on deployment in Afghanistan (as part of ISAF) and in Kosovo. Moreover, Sweden contributes military observers to various countries and serve as the lead nation for an EU Battle Group approximately once every three years. A 2013 report by the Swedish National Audit Office found that the Swedish Armed Forces were incapable of defending the country.[4] Current form 1975 Service branches Coat of Arms of the Swedish Army Swedish Army Coat of Arms of the Swedish Air Force Swedish Air Force Coat of Arms of the Swedish Navy Swedish Navy Coat of Arms of the Swedish Home Guard Swedish Home Guard Coat of Arms of the Swedish Signals Intelligence Service Signals Intelligence Service Headquarters Stockholm Leadership Command-in-Chief The Govenment (Löfven Cabinet) Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist Supreme Commander General Sverker Göranson Manpower Military age 16-70 years old[1] Conscription No Available for military service 2,065,782 males, age 18-47 (2010 est.), 1,995,451 females, age 18-47 (2010 est.) Fit for military service 1,709,592 males, age 18-47 (2010 est.), 1,649,875 females, age 18-47 (2010 est.) Reaching military age annually 58,937 males (2010 est.), 56,225 females (2010 est.) Active personnel 15,400 Soldiers 22,000 Guardsmen Reserve personnel 12,000 Reservists Expenditures Budget SEK 45.578 billion (USD ~6.46 billion) (2012)[2] Percent of GDP 1.13% (2012)[3] Related articles History Military history of Sweden Ranks Military ranks of the Swedish Armed Forces Doctrine[edit] Main article: Foreign relations of Sweden The Swedish Armed Forces have four main tasks:[5] To assert the territorial integrity of Sweden. To defend the country if attacked by a foreign nation. To support the civil community in case of disasters (e.g. flooding). To deploy forces to international peace support operations. Sweden aims to have the option of remaining neutral in case of proximate war.[6] However, Sweden cooperates militarily with a number of foreign countries. As a member of the European Union, Sweden is acting as the lead nation for EU Battlegroups[7] and also has a close cooperation, including joint exercises, with NATO through its membership in Partnership for Peace and Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council.[8] In 2008 a partnership was initiated between the Nordic countries to, among other things, increase the capability of joint action, and this led to the creation of NORDEFCO.[9][10] As a response to the expanded military cooperation the defence proposition of 2009 stated that Sweden will not remain passive if a Nordic country or a member of the European Union were attacked.[11] Recent political decisions have strongly emphasized the capability to participate in international operations, to the point where this has become the main short-term goal of training and equipment acquisition.[12][13][14] However, after the 2008 South Ossetia war territorial defense was once again emphasized. Until then most units could not be mobilized within one year. In 2009 the Minister for Defence stated that in the future all of the armed forces must capable of fully mobilizing within one week.[15] In 2013, after Russian air exercises in close proximity to the Swedish border were widely reported, only six percent of Swedes expressed confidence in the ability of the nation to defend itself.[16] Organization The Supreme Commander (Swedish: Överbefälhavaren) is a four-star general or flag officer that is the agency head of the Swedish Armed Forces, and is the highest ranking professional officer on active duty. The Supreme Commander in turn reports, normally through the Minister for Defence,

• published: 15 Jan 2015
• views: 301