Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Carl ''Gunnar'' Eklund (21 March 1920 – 11 January 2010) was a senior

Swedish Coastal Artillery The Swedish Coastal Artillery () has its origin in the Archipelago Artillery that was raised in 1866. The Coastal Artillery was formed from the Archipelago Artillery, the Marine Regiment and parts of the Artillery in 1902. Kustartilleriet, abbr ...

officer. Eklund's military journey began in 1941 when he became a second lieutenant in the Gotland Coastal Artillery Corps. Over the years, he steadily climbed the ranks, demonstrating a strong interest in technology. He attended the

Royal Swedish Naval Staff College The Royal Swedish Naval Staff College (, KSHS) was a Swedish Navy training establishment between 1898 and 1961, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Swedish Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for office ...

and later became a captain. His service included teaching roles at military colleges, and he attained the rank of major in 1957. Eklund also held significant positions, including heading the Defence Staff's Research Department and serving as a commanding officer in various coastal artillery units. His military career culminated in his role as Chief of the Defence Staff and as a military commander. Apart from his military service, Eklund was actively involved in various organizations, including shooting associations and editorial roles in military journals. He was part of the Swedish delegation in the Disarmament Conference in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, served as chairman of the Swedish Military Sports Association, and held leadership roles in esteemed military and defense-related associations. Even after retirement, he continued his involvement in officer associations and local politics in

Danderyd Danderyd Municipality (; ) is a municipality north of Stockholm in Stockholm County in east central Sweden. It is one of the smallest municipalities of Sweden, but the most affluent. Its seat is located in Djursholm and it is located within Sto ...

from 1983 to 1988.

Early life

Eklund was born on 21 March 1920 in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, the son of lieutenant Carl Eklund and his wife Sally (née Karlsson). As a child in a non-commissioned officer family in the

Coastal Artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of ...

, he moved between different garrisons from an early age, but 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 Stockholm in 1938.

Career

Military career

Eklund became second lieutenant in the Gotland Coastal Artillery Corps (KA 3) in 1941 and during his first years, he served in units with high preparedness in Stockholm's outer archipelago and he was promoted to lieutenant in 1943. He had a strong interest in technology and attended the

from 1946 to 1947 and passed its staff and artillery course from 1947 to 1949 and was promoted to captain in 1948. He served in the Defence Staff and was teacher at the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1949 to 1954 as well as served as acting teacher at the Swedish National Defence College from 1952 to 1954. Eklund was a teacher of tactics at the Royal Swedish Naval Staff College from 1954 to 1958 and attended the

Swedish Infantry Combat School The Swedish Infantry Combat School (, InfSS) was a combat arms school of the Swedish Army which operated in various forms from 1874 to 1995. The school was located at Kvarns bruk north of Borensberg. History The Swedish Infantry Combat School ('' ...

in 1957 and was promoted to major the same year. Eklund was head of the Defence Staff's Research Department from 1958 to 1961 and attended the Swedish National Defence College in 1959. In 1960 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He was then chief of staff of the Inspector of the Coastal Artillery from 1961 to 1962 when he promoted to colonel. Eklund was appointed commanding officer of the Gotland Coastal Artillery Defence (KA 3) in 1962 and two years later in 1964 he was appointed commanding officer of the Naval Command North (''Marinkommando Nord''), Norrland Coastal Artillery Defence (''Norrlands kustartilleriförsvar'') and Härnösand Coastal Artillery Corps (KA 5). He was promoted to senior colonel in 1966 and was chief of staff of the

Lower Norrland Military District Lower Norrland Military District (, Milo NN), originally II Military District () was a Sweden, Swedish Military district (Sweden), military district, a command of the Swedish Armed Forces that had operational control over Lower Norrland, for most ...

(Milo NN) from 1966 to 1970. On 1 October 1970, Eklund assumed the position of Chief of the Naval Staff and promoted to major general. Eklund was Chief of the Defence Staff from 1 October 1972 to 30 September 1976 and then military commander of the

Eastern Military District The Order of the Red Banner 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 wi ...

(Milo Ö) as well as

Commandant General in Stockholm The Commandant General in Stockholm () is a military position in Sweden with responsibility for state ceremonial activities. Lieutenant General Carl-Johan Edström, Chief of Defence Staff (Sweden), Chief of Defence Staff is the Commandant General ...

from 1 October 1976 to 1982 when he retired from active service.

Other work

Eklund was a member of Gotland's Coastal Artillery Corps' shooting association from 1942, member of the board and leader of the pistol shooting section leader, and member of the

Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment The Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment (), designation KA 1, was a Swedish Navy coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortificati ...

's shooting association and the

Royal Swedish Naval Academy The Royal Swedish Naval Academy (, KSS) was a school for officer training for the Swedish Navy, which operated in various forms between the years 1756 and 1987. History 1683–1791 In 1683, when the charter was issued that "those who were propo ...

's shooting association. Eklund was editor of the journal ''Kustartilleriet'' ("The Coastal Artillery") from 1954 to 1960 and co-editor of ''Öst och Väst och Vi'' in 1957. He was a board member of the ''Marinlitteraturföreningen'' ("Naval Literature Association") and the ''Försvarspolitiskt forum'' ("Defence Policy Forum Association"). Eklund became a member of the

Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences The Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences (, KÖMS), founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. The Society is an independent organization and a forum for navy and defence issues. Fellowship is limited to 120 ...

in 1962 and in 1966 he became a member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences () 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 military (army and air force) and de ...

. Eklund was a member of the Swedish delegation in the Disarmament Conference in

from 1963 to 1965 and chairman of the Section II, Naval Warfare Studies of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences from 1970 to 1972 as well as military expert in the 1972 Defence Investigation. Furthermore, Eklund was chairman of the Swedish Military Sports Association (''Sveriges militära idrottsförbund'') from 1972 to 1984 and he was president of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences from 1982 to 1985. After his retirement, he worked as chairman of the Officers' Association for Older Officers (''Officersföreningen för äldre officerare'') and in the Retired Officers Association (''Föreningen Pensionerade Officerare''). He was also elected municipal politician in

from 1983 to 1988.

Personal life

On 31 December 1942 he married Marianne Cecil Elisabet von Malmborg (1920–2004), the daughter of captain Nils von Malmborg and Torborg Vidinghoff. He was the father of Carl (born 1944), Nils (born 1944) and Bertil (born 1948). Nils was colonel in the

and his last position before retiring was as acting head of the

Swedish Armed Forces The Swedish Armed Forces (, literally ''Defence Force'') are the Military, armed forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. It consists of four separate military branches, the Swedish Army, the Swedish Navy, the Swedish Air Force and the Home Guard (Swed ...

's internal audit.

Death

Eklund died on 11 January 2010 in

and the funeral service took place in Danderyd Church on 12 February 2010. He was buried at Solna Cemetery on 21 March 2010.

Dates of rank

*1941 – Second lieutenant *1943 –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

*1948 –

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

*1957 –

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

*1960 – Lieutenant colonel *1962 –

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

*1966 –

Senior colonel __NOTOC__ Senior colonel is an officer rank usually placed between a regular colonel and a British brigadier or American brigadier general. Use Most western militaries tend to equate a senior colonel as being on the level of a "brigadier general ...

*1970 – Major general *1 October 1972 –

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Awards and decorations

Swedish

Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_1st_Class_BAR

Commander 1st Class of the

Order of the Sword The Royal Order of the Sword (officially: ''Royal Order of the Sword''; Swedish: ''Kungliga Svärdsorden'') is a Swedish order of chivalry and military decoration created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Or ...

(6 June 1969) * Royal_Order_of_the_Sword_-_Commander_BAR

Commander of the

(6 June 1966) * Order_of_the_Sword_-_Ribbon_bar

Knight of the

(1959) *

Commemorative Medal

Foreign

FIN_Order_of_the_Lion_of_Finland_1Class_BAR

Commander Grand Cross of the

Order of the Lion of Finland Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eklund, Gunnar 1920 births 2010 deaths Swedish Coastal Artillery lieutenant generals Military personnel from Stockholm Members of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences Commanders First Class of the Order of the Sword Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Sweden)