The 1st Division () is a

Swedish Army The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...

mechanized division located in the county of Västra Götaland, active since 2022. It was previously active 2000–2004. The division is

headquartered Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

Skövde garrison Skövde garrison () is a Swedish Army garrison located in the county of Västra Götaland County, Västra Götaland, active since 1905. It is among the absolute oldest and largest Swedish garrisons. History Foundation In the Army Order of 1 ...

with the Skaraborg Regiment.

History

In the Defence Act of 2000, the government proposed that the three remaining army divisions, following post–Cold War downsizing, be consolidated into a single, reinforced division to reduce bureaucracy within the army. The

Swedish Parliament The Riksdag ( , ; also or , ) is the parliament and the supreme decision-making body of the Kingdom of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral parliament with 349 members (), elected proportionally and serving, since 1994, f ...

ultimately approved the proposal, leading to the creation of the 1st Mechanized Division as the successor to the Upper Northern Army Division, the

Eastern Army Division The Eastern Army Division (, 4. förd), was a Division (military), division of the Swedish Army that operated in various forms from 1941 to 2000. Its staff was located in Strängnäs Garrison in Strängnäs. The unit was disbanded as a result of t ...

, and the

Southern Army Division The Southern Army Division (, 13. förd), was a division of the Swedish Army that operated in various forms from 1941 until 2000. Its staff was located in Kristianstad Garrison in Kristianstad. The unit was disbanded as a result of the disarmame ...

. The new division, however, lasted only four years. In the Defence Act of 2004, the government proposed that the division be disbanded and its unit be placed directly under the

Joint Forces Command The United Kingdom's Strategic Command (StratCom), previously known as Joint Forces Command (JFC), manages allocated joint capabilities from the three armed services. History Background In August 2010 the then Defence Secretary, Liam Fox, ask ...

, as maintaining a division-sized unit was no longer considered suitable for the army's increasing focus on international operations. Hence, it was disbanded that same year. In 2022, following the 2020 Defence Act, the division was re-established to lead the newly formed brigades, which were also created that same year.

Organization

As of 2022, the planned wartime organization of the 1st Division at full operational capacity is as follows: *1st Division **1st Division Staff ***1st Division Staff Battalion ***1st Division Electronic Warfare Battalion ***1st Division Support Battalion ***1st Division Engineer Battalion ** 1st Infantry Brigade ** 4th Mechanized Brigade **

7th Mechanized Brigade The 7th Mechanized Brigade ("Dukelská") is an Mechanized infantry brigade of the Czech Army based in Hranice. It is the Czech Army main heavy ground fighting unit for defence of Czech Republic and for EU and NATO alliance forces. It operates T-7 ...

** 19th Arctic Mechanized Brigade This organization will be expanding throughout 2025–2035 with more supporting units, including artillery, reconnaissance and signal units.

Commanders

Attributes

Footnotes

References

Notes

Web

* * * * * *{{Cite web , last=Försvarsmakten , first= , date=2024-06-05 , title=Krigsorganisationens utveckling 2025-2035 , url=https://www.forsvarsmakten.se/siteassets/2-om-forsvarsmakten/dokument/budgetunderlag/budgetunderlag-2025/fm2023-24770.26-fm-bu25-ny-underbilaga-1.1-krigsorganisationens-utveckling-2025-2035-o.pdf , access-date=2025-05-11 , website=forsvarsmakten.se , language=sv-se Military units and formations established in 2022 2000 establishments in Sweden 2004 disestablishments in Sweden 2022 establishments in Sweden 21st-century establishments in Uppsala County