Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Alf Robert Sandqvist (born 27 May 1945) is a retired

Swedish Army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gusta ...

officer. Sandqvist's senior commands include the

Chief of Home Guard The Chief of Home Guard, also called the Chief of the National Swedish Home Guard ( sv, Rikshemvärnschefen, RiksHvC) is the Swedish Home Guard chief representative. He reports to the Chief of Armed Forces Training & Procurement. The Home Guard f ...

and Inspector eneralof the Swedish Army.

Early life

Sandqvist was born on 27 May 1945 in Othem,

Gotland Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to th ...

, Sweden, the son of John Robert Sandqvist (1919–2004) and his wife Alfhilda Gustava (1922–2010). He passed ''

studentexamen Studentexamen (Swedish for "students' examination" or "students' degree"), earlier also ''mogenhetsexamen'' ("maturity examination") was the name of the university entrance examination in Sweden from the 17th century to 1968. From 1862 to 1968, ...

'' in 1966 and considered becoming a gymnastics director.

Career

Sandqvist attended officer candidate school (''aspirantskola'') in 1967 and then the Royal Military Academy in Stockholm from 1968 to 1969 when he was commissioned as ''

fänrik ''Fänrik'' () ( en, second lieutenant in the Swedish Army/Air Force, Acting sub-lieutenant in the Navy) is a company grade officer rank. In the army/airforce, it ranks above sergeant and below lieutenant. In the navy, it ranks above sergeant ...

'' and was assigned to Södermanland Regiment (P 10) in

Strängnäs Strängnäs is a locality and the seat of Strängnäs Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 15,363 inhabitants in 2020. It is located by Lake Mälaren and is the episcopal see of the Diocese of Strängnäs, one of the thirteen dioceses ...

. He continued servering in Södermanland Regiment being promoted to lieutenant in 1971 and to captain in 1972. Sandqvist attended the Army General Course (AAK) at the

Swedish Armed Forces Staff College The oyalSwedish Armed Forces Staff College ( sv, Militärhögskolan, MHS) was from 1961 to 1996 the Swedish Armed Forces highest institution for officers training, for staff and senior executive education and was located in Stockholm. In 1997 i ...

from 1974 to 1975 and then Higher Course (HK) at the Swedish Armed Forces Staff College from 1977 to 1979. He was promoted to major in Södermanland Regiment in 1980 and served as company commander there from 1984 to 1985. Sandqvist served as commander of the Maintenance Section (''Underhållssektionen'') at the

Eastern Military District The Eastern Military District (Russian: Восточный военный округ) is a military district of Russia. It is one of the five military districts of the Russian Armed Forces, with its jurisdiction within the Far Eastern Federal ...

from 1985 to 1988 and he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1986. He was commanding officer of the EU battalion in 1988 and the basic training battalion (''grundutbildningsbataljon'') at Södermanland Regiment from 1988 to 1989. Sandqvist was then acting deputy commander of Skaraborg Regiment (P 4) when he was promoted to colonel on 1 April 1990. In November 1992 he was promoted to senior colonel and appointed commander of Skaraborg Regiment as well as Defence District Commander. Sandqvist was then Inspector of the

Swedish Armoured Troops The Swedish Armoured Troops ( sv, Pansartrupperna, P) is the armoured branch of the Swedish Army. Since 2005, the Armoured Troops include the South Scanian Regiment (P 7) in Revingehed, Skaraborg Regiment (P 4) in Skövde, Norrbotten Armoured B ...

at the

Swedish Army Armoured Center The Swedish Army Armoured Center ( sv, Arméns pansarcentrum, PaC) was a center of the Swedish Armoured Troops within the Swedish Army which operated in from 1991 to 1995. The staff was located in Skövde Garrison in Skövde, Sweden. History The ...

from 1 October 1993 to 30 June 1995 and Brigade Inspector at the Swedish Army Brigade Warfare Centre (''Arméns brigadcentrum'') from 1995 to 1997, both in

Skövde Skövde () is a locality and urban centre in Skövde Municipality and Västra Götaland County, in the Västergötland (Western Gothland region) in central Southern Sweden. Skövde is situated some 150 km northeast of Gothenburg, between ...

. Sandqvist served as the

from 1 October 1997 until 30 June 2000 and on 1 July 2000, he assumed the position of General Inspector of the Army and commanding officer of the Army Tactical Command. On 28 November 2002, the

Swedish government The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden ( sv, Konungariket Sveriges regering) is the Cabinet (government), national cabinet of Sweden, and the country's Executive (government), executive authority. The Government consists of the Prime Minister ...

appointed Sandqvist to the position of

Inspector of the Army The Inspector of the Army (german: Inspekteur des Heeres or ''InspH'') is the title held by the commander and highest ranking officer of the German Army (unless the Inspector General is an army officer) of the modern-day German Armed Forces or '' ...

in the General Training and Management Directorate (''Grundorganisationsledningen'') in the

Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters The Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters ( sv, Högkvarteret, HKV) is the highest level of command in the Swedish Armed Forces. Established in 1994, its primary task is to command operations, but is also involved in areas such as military strategy, ...

from 1 January 2003 until 31 May 2005. Sandqvist retired from the military in 2005 and then became head of the National Association of Volunteer Motor Transport Corps for 10 years until 2015. On 3 December 2016, Sandqvist became chairman of the association ''Ryttmästarbostället'' outside

Personal life

Sandqvist is married to Yvonne Marianne (born 1948) and together they have two children: Pernilla Helen (born 1970) and Per Robert Åke (born 1973).

Dates of rank

*1969 –

Second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until 1 ...

*1971 –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

*1972 –

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

*1980 – Major *1987 – Lieutenant colonel *1 April 1990 –

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

*November 1992 – Senior colonel *1997 –

Major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Awards and decorations

Swedish

For Zealous and Devoted Service of the Realm ribbon

For Zealous and Devoted Service of the Realm For Zealous and Devoted Service of the Realm ( sv, För nit och redlighet i rikets tjänst) is a reward medal awarded to one who has been a Swedish State employee for 30 years and has shown "zealous and devoted service". As an alternative to the m ...

SWE Home Guard Royal Medal of Merit ribbon

Home Guard Medal of Merit Home Guard Medal of Merit ( sv, Hemvärnets förtjänstmedalj, HVGM & HVSM) is a Swedish reward medal established in 1947 by the National Home Guard Council. It is awarded to those who, through significant service, have contributed to developing ...

Association of Home Guard Officers Merit Badge The Association of Home Guard Officers Merit Badge ( sv, Hemvärnsbefälets Riksförbunds förtjänsttecken, HBRGFt) is a Swedish merit badge established in 1991 by the Association of Home Guard Officers (''Hemvärnsbefälets Riksförbund'', HBR) ...

* Swedish Armed Forces Conscript Medal * Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Organization Medal of Merit in gold * Swedish Volunteer Air Corps Medal of Merit (''Frivilliga flygkårens förtjänstmedalj'') * Swedish Association of Women’s Auxiliary Driver Corps Royal Medal in Gold (''Svenska Kvinnliga Bilkårers kungliga medalj i guld'')

Foreign

Commander of the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or military reserve force, reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the America ...

Badge of Merit (''Hjemmevaernets fortjensttegn'')

Honours

*Member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Krigsvetenskapsakademien) is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden and was founded on 12 November 1796 by Gustaf Wilhelm af Tibell. The academy is an independent organization and a forum for ...

(2000)

References

External links

Article on Sandqvist
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandqvist, Alf 1945 births Living people Swedish Army major generals Chiefs of Army (Sweden) People from Gotland Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences