Military Ranks Of Sweden

Military ranks of the Swedish Armed Forces shows the rank system used in the Swedish Armed Forces today, as well as changes during the 20th century due to changes in the personnel structure.

Current ranks

On 1 October 2019 a new rank system was introduced in the Swedish Armed Forces. The system is unique and does not follow the conventional system used by most of the World's armed forces. The ranks are grouped as officers (OF1 - OF9), specialist officers (OR6 - OR9), and as section commanders, soldiers and sailors (GSS in Swedish) (OR1 - OR5). Specialist officers are more like warrant officers in the US ranking systems as they mostly hold technical positions. The rank insignia below are worn on the field uniform. Army, navy and air force rank titles are shown below.

From 2023, the rank of has been introduced in the Swedish Armed Forces.

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Student officer ranks

Other ranks

The rank insignia of specialist officers (OR6 - OR9) and enlisted personnel (OR1 - OR5).

Former ranks

Ranks 2009–2019

Since 2009, there are three categories of ranks, , and

; (Officers)
Officers lead units from platoon and up. They are trained at the Military Academy Karlberg in a three-year academic program(180 ECTS credits) and graduate as . Cadets with no prior service must complete a 6-9 months preparatory course before they start at the academy.

; (Senior NCOs, lit. Specialist Officers)
are educated at specialist schools and centres for 1,5 years and graduate as . Experienced soldiers who have served as corporals and sergeants may take a shortened course. Civilians must complete a preparatory course before the 1.5 year specialist training starts.

; (junior NCOs, soldiers and seamen, lit. Squad leaders, soldiers and seamen)
The two highest ranks in this category, and , form their own sub-category, . They command squads of approx. 8 men. Ordinary soldiers are given the rank with different insignia depending on how long they have served.

When the professional NCO corps was reintroduced in 2009 it was decided that some ranks in this category should, like the old ranks in 1960–1972, have a relative rank higher than the most junior officers. The current relative ranks are shown in the table below.

;Rank insignia
The table below shows ranks according to seniority, with the most senior to the left. OF denotes officers, OR other ranks (as per STANAG 2116). Those ranks were ratified by the supreme commander on October 24, 2008, and became effective as of January 1, 2009. Military ranks of (primarily) Great Britain have been used as a basis for harmonization with NATO.

Ranks 1983–2009

A major change in the personnel structure in 1983 (NBO 1983), merged the three professional corps of platoon officers, company officers, and regimental officers into a one-track career system within a single corps called professional officers (). The three messes were also merged to one.

;Officers

;Others

Ranks 1972–1983

In 1972 the personnel structure changed, reflecting increased responsibilities of warrant and non-commissioned officers, renaming the as , giving them the same ranks as company grade officers (, , ). was renamed and given the rank titles of and , although their relative ranks were now placed below . The commissioned officers were renamed , beginning with . The three-track career system was maintained, as well as three separate messes.

Ranks 1957–1972

Note that the rank of (Field Marshal) was a ''de jure'' rank before the reform of 1972, even though it has not been used since 1824.

Field uniform model 1958/1959 - rank structure of 1960

Uniform model 1939 - rank structure of 1949

In 1949 the relative rank of the warrant officers were elevated further so that to the following effect:

#The lowest warrant officer, , had relative rank just below the lowest officer rank, .
#The second warrant officer rank, , had relative rank between and .
#The highest warrant officer rank, , had relative rank between first lieutenant and captain.

Uniform model 1939

Uniform model 1923

In a reform 1926 the relative rank of the then senior warrant officer, , was increased to be equal with the junior officer rank and above the most junior officer rank .

Uniform model 1910

When an army based on national service (conscription) was introduced in 1901 all commissioned officers had ranks that were senior to the warrant officers () and non-commissioned officers ().

Notes

References

*

External links

Military Ranks of Kingdom of Sweden

{{DEFAULTSORT:Military Ranks Of The Swedish Armed Forces
Sweden
Military ranks of Sweden