General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Owe Erik Axel Wiktorin (born 7 May 1940) is a retired Swedish Air Force officer. Wiktorin was

Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces The Supreme Commander ( sv, överbefälhavaren; acronym: ÖB) is the highest ranked professional military officer in the Swedish Armed Forces, and is by NATO terminology the Swedish chief of defence equivalent. The Supreme Commander is the agency ...

from 1994 to 2000. His time as Supreme Commander was marked by major cutbacks of the Swedish defense.

Early life

Wiktorin was born on 7 May 1940 in

Motala Motala () is a locality and the seat of Motala Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 29,823 inhabitants (41,956 in the entire municipality) in 2010. It is the third largest city of Östergötland, following Linköping and Norrköpin ...

, Sweden, the son of Erik Wiktorin, a chief accountant, and his wife Esther (née Johnson). Wiktorin was dreaming of becoming a pilot at a young age and he built aircraft models during when growing up in Askersund. He passed his '' studentexamen'' in 1961. 191.5 centimeters tall, Wiktorin was almost too tall for the fighter's cockpits, but he was accepted and trained as a pilot at the Swedish Air Force Flying School in

Ljungbyhed Ljungbyhed is a locality situated in Klippan Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden, with 2,046 inhabitants in 2010. History Ljungbyhed was and is located in Riseberga '' socken'' and was part of the Riseberga ''landskommun'' after the municipal ref ...

from 1961 to 1962 eventually becoming an officer in the Swedish Air Force in 1964.

Career

Wiktorin was an attack pilot at Skaraborg Wing (F 7) from 1964 to 1969 and attack squadron commander at Skaraborg Wing from 1969 to 1971. Wiktorin studied the higher course 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 it ...

and served at the Planning Department at the Defence Staff from 1971 to 1973. He then studied at the

Air Command and Staff College The Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) is located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and is the United States Air Force's intermediate-level Professional Military Education (PME) school. It is a subordinate command of the Air Uni ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

from 1979 to 1980. He was head of the Planning Department at the Defence Staff from 1980 to 1983 and was deputy wing commander at

Jämtland Wing Jämtland Wing ( sv, Jämtlands flygflottilj), also F 4 Frösön, or simply F 4, is a former Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located at Åre Östersund Airport outside Östersund on Frösön in the middle of Sweden. History The airbase ...

(F 4) from 1983 to 1984 and head of Section 1 of the Air Staff from 1 October 1984 to 1986. In 1986 he was promoted to major general and was appointed head of the Planning Management in the Defence Staff as well as Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff. In 1991 he became lieutenant general and Chief of the Defence Staff and in 1992 he was appointed military commander of the

Southern Military District 200px, Headquarters of the district at 53 Pushkinskaya Street / 43 Budenovsky avenue, Rostov-on-Don The Southern Military District ( Russian: Южный военный округ) is a military district of Russia. It is one of the five militar ...

(Milo S), taking command on 1 October. On 1 July 1994, he was promoted to general and became

. When Wiktorin became Supreme Commander in 1994, a massive reorganization of the Swedish defense was carried out when 110 defence agencies were coordinated into one with control from 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, ...

in Stockholm. The military also underwent one of its greatest transformations ever, from the Cold War defence of invasions and major conscript armies to a more downturned flexible response defence. His time as Supreme Commander was also marked by major cutbacks of the Swedish defense. Wiktorin stayed in the position of Supreme Commander until 30 June 2000. In 1985 he became a 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 ...

. On 2 October 1998, Wiktorin became honorary member number 20 of the Lund Academic Officer Society (''Lunds Akademiska Officerssällskap''). On 6 June 2000 he was awarded the H. M. The King's Medal of the 12th size in gold with chain "''for outstanding work for the Swedish defense''." Wiktorin was chairman of the Swedish Association for Hunting and Wildlife Management (''Svenska Jägareförbundet'') from 2003 to 2007 and then became an honorary member.

Personal life

In 1965, Wiktorin married in Cajs Gårding (born 1943), the daughter of engineer Folke Gårding and Signe (née Domeij). Together they have two sons, Martin and Björn.

Dates of rank

*1964 –

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 ...

*19?? –

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 ...

*19?? –

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 ...

*1975 – Major *19?? – Lieutenant colonel *1983 –

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 ...

*19?? – Senior colonel *1986 –

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 ...

*1991 –

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) 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 ...

*1994 –

Awards and decorations

Swedish

H. M. The King's Medal, 12th size gold medal worn around the neck on a chain of gold (2000) *

For Zealous and Devoted Service of the Realm ribbon

For Zealous and Devoted Service of the Realm * 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 ...

Swedish_Air_Force_Volunteers_Association_Medal_of_Merit_ribbon

Swedish Air Force Volunteers Association Medal of Merit * Swedish_Air_Force_Volunteers_Association_Badge_of_Merit_ribbon

Swedish Air Force Volunteers Association Merit Badge The Swedish Air Force Volunteers Association Merit Badge ( sv, Flygvapenföreningarnas riksförbunds förtjänsttecken or ''Flygvapenfrivilligas förtjänsttecken'', FVRFGFt) is a Swedish merit badge established in 1986 by the Swedish Air Force V ...

Foreign

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known ...

FIN Order of the White Rose Grand Cross BAR

Grand Cross of the

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ...

Commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

EST_Order_of_the_Cross_of_the_Eagle_2nd_Class_BAR

2nd Class of the Order of the Cross of the Eagle (2 February 2001)

Bibliography

* * *

References

External links

Article on Wiktorin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiktorin, Owe 1940 births Living people Swedish Air Force generals People from Motala Municipality Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences 20th-century Swedish military personnel Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Sweden)