Sigurd Frisvold (5 July 1947 – 29 November 2022) was a Norwegian general who served as

Chief of Defence of Norway The Chief of Defence (''Forsvarssjefen'') is the highest-ranking officer of the Norwegian Armed Forces, second only to the King of Norway. Even though he holds the same rank as the King of Norway, according to the Norwegian Constitution the Kin ...

from 30 April 1999 until 1 April 2005. Frisvold was born in

Kristiansund Kristiansund (, ; historically spelled Christianssund and earlier named Fosna) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality on the western coast of Norway in the Nordmøre district of Møre og Romsdal counties of Norway, county. The admin ...

. He was educated in the Norwegian

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

, in addition to cand.mag.-degrees in

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

and

social studies In many countries' curricula, social studies is the combined study of humanities, the arts, and social sciences, mainly including history, economics, and civics. The term was coined by American educators around the turn of the twentieth century as ...

. Having served as head of

Forsvarskommando Sør-Norge The Danish Defence Command (DCD) (, ''FKO'') is the Danish joint military command and the top coordination and controlling authority of the Danish Armed Forces. It is a Level I command authority, directly under the Ministry of Defence. It consi ...

(the Southern Norway Defence Command) Frisvold succeeded

Arne Solli Arne Solli (6 April 1938 – 20 September 2017) was a Norwegian Army general who served as Chief of Defence of Norway The Chief of Defence (''Forsvarssjefen'') is the highest-ranking officer of the Norwegian Armed Forces, second only to the ...

on 30 April 1999. During his leadership period the armed forces underwent major reorganization and closure of units and camps, as well as introduction of some new administrative measures, including the introduction of Regional Support Function (, RSF) and Horizontal Trade (). On 10 December 2004, Frisvold announced that he would be resigning of his own volition as Chief of Defence after he had been on sick leave several times the last year. On the same day Sverre Diesen was appointed his successor, and Diesen took over on 1 April 2005. Frisvold died on 29 November 2022, at the age of 75.

Awards

Frisvold was the holder of a number of Norwegian and foreign orders and decorations: * Multinational Force and Observer Medal 1984 * Norwegian Defense Medal 1992 * Norwegian Defense Medal with Laurel Branch 1996 * Commander with Star of the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

2000 * 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 ...

2000 * Commanders of the

Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland () is a Polish order of merit created in 1974, awarded to persons who have rendered great service to Poland. It is granted to foreigners or Poles resident abroad. As such, it is sometimes referred to as ...

2001 * Grand Officer of the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

Ordre national du Mérite The (; ) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's establishment was twofold: to replace the large number of ...

2002 * Commander Grand Cross of the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...

2003 *

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

n 1st Class

Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle The Order of the Cross of the Eagle (; ) was instituted in 1928 by the Estonian Defence League to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Estonian independence. It was adopted as a state order in 1936. The Order of the Cross of the Eagle is bestowe ...

2004 Frisvold was also a fellow of the

Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences The Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences (, NTVA) is a learned society based in Trondheim, Norway. Founded in 1955, the academy has about 500 members. It is a member of the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technologica ...

References

1947 births 2022 deaths People from Kristiansund Norwegian Army generals Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star Grand Officers of the Ordre national du Mérite Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of Finland Commanders of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Recipients of the Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle, Class I Members of the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences Chiefs of Defence (Norway) {{Norway-mil-bio-stub