The Life Guards Brigade (), or the 1st Infantry Brigade (IB 1), is a reduced

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 ...

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

located in the county of

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 ...

, active since 2024. It was previously active 1949–2000. The brigade 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 ...

at Kungsängen Garrison with the Life Guards Regiment.

History

The brigade was established in 1949 as the peacetime subordinate of the

Uppland Regiment The Uppland Regiment (), designation I 8, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that traced its origins back to the 16th century. It was disbanded in 1957. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from the province of Uppland, and it was ...

under the name

Uppland Uppland is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The name literally ...

Brigade, with

Roslagen Roslagen is the name of the coastal areas of Uppland province in Sweden, which also constitutes the northern part of the Stockholm archipelago. Historically, it was the name for all the coastal areas of the Baltic Sea, including the eastern par ...

as its area of responsibility. However in 1957, the Uppland Regiment was disbanded, and the brigade was transferred and would henceforth act as the peacetime subordinate to the

Svea Life Guards The Svea Life Guards (), also I 1, was a Swedish Army infantry regiment that was active in various forms 1521–2000. The unit was based in the Stockholm Garrison in Stockholm and belonged to the King's Life and Household Troops (''Kungl. Maj: ...

instead. In the Defence Act of 2000, the government proposed that the army undergo further post–Cold War downsizing and that many brigades, including the Life Guards Brigade, be disbanded. Upon the re-establishment of the brigade in 2024, its wartime organization would be within the 1st Division along with the rest of the Swedish Army's active brigades. The brigade would be unique among all other brigades and units within the Swedish Army upon its establishment. It would hold a permanent responsibility for defending

, and would be the only reduced infantry brigade, using only

armoured personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Acc ...

s instead of the standard Strf 90 and Strv 122.

Organization

As of 2022, the planned wartime organization of the Life Guards Brigade at full operational capacity is as follows, with full capability expected to be reached no sooner than 2029: * 1st Infantry Brigade ** 1st Brigade Staff *** 1st Headquarters Company *** 1st Air Defence Company ** King's Guards Battalion ** 1st Motorised Infantry Battalion ** 2nd Motorised Infantry Battalion ** 1st Artillery Company

Commanders

The commanders of the brigade throughout its history are as follows:

Attributes

Footnotes

References

Notes

Print

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Web

* * * * * {{Cite web , last=Försvarsmakten , date=2025-01-27 , title=Stockholmsbrigad tar form , url=https://www.forsvarsmakten.se/sv/aktuellt/2025/01/stockholmsbrigad-tar-form/ , access-date=2025-05-18 , website=forsvarsmakten.se , language=sv-se Brigades of the Swedish Army