Contents

Chief of the Defence Staff (Sweden)

Chief of the Defence Staff
Chefen för försvarsstaben
Incumbent LtGen Michael Claesson
Ministry of Defence
Type	Chief of the Defence Staff
Abbreviation	C FST
Reports to	Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces
Seat	Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters
Term length	No fixed term
Precursor	Chief of the General Staff (1st incarnation) Chief of Defence Staff (2nd incarnation)
Formation	1 July 1937 (1st incarnation) 1 January 2023 (2nd incarnation)
First holder	Major General Olof Thörnell
Final holder	Vice Admiral Peter Nordbeck (1st incarnation) Vice Admiral Jonas Haggren (2nd incarnation)
Abolished	1993
Unofficial names	Försvarsstabschef
Deputy	Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff

The Chief of the Defence Staff (Swedish: Chefen för försvarsstaben, C FST, or Försvarsstabschef) is the second most senior uniformed member of the Swedish Armed Forces (after the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces) and heads the Defence Staff. The Chief of the Defence Staff is the chief of staff of the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces.^[1]

The position was created in 1937 as a successor to the Chief of the General Staff which was abolished the same year. The position was held by a senior member of one of the three main branches of the Swedish Armed Forces until 1993 when the position was abolished when the Defence Staff was disbanded. Between 2007 and 2022, the Ledningsstaben (LEDS) in the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters was called the Defence Staff in English and was commanded by the Chief of Defence Staff (Chefen för ledningsstaben, C LEDS). The Chief of the Defence Staff position was re-established on 1 January 2023 after the Defence Staff (Ledningsstaben, LEDS) was decommissioned.

No.	Portrait	Chief of the Defence Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch	Supreme Commander	Ref.
1937–1993
1		Thörnell, OlofLieutenant general Olof Thörnell (1877–1977)	1 July 1937[a]	December 1939[b]	1–2 years	Army	–	[2]
2		Bredberg, AxelMajor general Axel Bredberg (1884–1960)	1 July 1942	15 November 1945[c]	1 year, 204 days	Army	Olof Thörnell Helge Jung	[8][6][7]
-		Ehrensvärd, Carl AugustMajor general Carl August Ehrensvärd (1892–1974) Acting	22 January 1944	15 November 1945	1 year, 297 days	Army	Olof Thörnell Helge Jung	[6][7]
3		Ehrensvärd, Carl AugustMajor general Carl August Ehrensvärd (1892–1974)	15 November 1945	30 April 1947	3 years, 98 days	Army	Helge Jung	[8][7]
4		Swedlund, NilsMajor general Nils Swedlund (1898–1965)	1 April 1947[d]	1 April 1951	4 years, 0 days	Army	Helge Jung	[9]
5		Åkerman, RichardMajor general Richard Åkerman (1898–1981)	1 April 1951	30 September 1957	6 years, 182 days	Army	Nils Swedlund	[10]
-		Göransson, CurtMajor general Curt Göransson (1909–1996) Acting	1 April 1957	30 September 1957	182 days	Army	Nils Swedlund	[11][12]
6		Göransson, CurtMajor general Curt Göransson (1909–1996)	1 October 1957	30 September 1961	3 years, 364 days	Army	Nils Swedlund	[12]
7		Almgren, Carl EricMajor general Carl Eric Almgren (1913–2001)	1 October 1961	30 March 1967	5 years, 180 days	Army	Torsten Rapp	[11][13]
8		Synnergren, StigLieutenant general Stig Synnergren (1915–2004)	1 April 1967	30 September 1970	3 years, 182 days	Army	Torsten Rapp	[13][14]
9		Westin, BoLieutenant general Bo Westin (1913–2009)	1 October 1970	30 September 1972	1 year, 365 days	Navy (Coastal Artillery)	Stig Synnergren	[14][15]
10		Eklund, GunnarLieutenant general Gunnar Eklund (1920–2010)	1 October 1972	30 September 1976	3 years, 365 days	Navy (Coastal Artillery)	Stig Synnergren	[15][16]
10		Ljung, LennartLieutenant general Lennart Ljung (1921–1990)	1 October 1976	30 September 1978	1 year, 364 days	Army	Stig Synnergren	[16][17]
11		Schuback, BengtVice admiral Bengt Schuback (1928–2015)	1 October 1978	30 September 1982	3 years, 364 days	Navy	Ola Ullsten Lennart Ljung	[17][18]
12		Stefenson, BrorVice admiral Bror Stefenson (1929–2018)	1 October 1982	31 March 1987	4 years, 181 days	Navy	Lennart Ljung Bengt Gustafsson	[18][19]
13		Engberg, TorstenLieutenant general Torsten Engberg (1934–2018)	1 April 1987	30 June 1991	4 years, 90 days	Navy (Coastal Artillery)	Bengt Gustafsson	[19][20]
14		Wiktorin, OweLieutenant general Owe Wiktorin (born 1940)	1 July 1991	30 September 1992	0–1 years	Air Force	Bengt Gustafsson	[20][21]
15		Nordbeck, PeterVice admiral Peter Nordbeck (born 1938)	1 October 1992	1993	0–1 years	Navy	Bengt Gustafsson	[21]
2023–present
1		Claesson, MichaelLieutenant general Michael Claesson (born 1965)	1 January 2023	Incumbent	1 year, 205 days	Army	Micael Bydén	[22]

No.	Portrait	Vice/Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff	Title	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Defence branch	Supreme Commander	Ref.
1		Rappe, AxelMajor general Axel Rappe (1884–1945)	Deputy Chief (Ställföreträdande chef)	15 December 1939	31 March 1941	1 year, 106 days	Army	Olof Thörnell	[e]
2		Åkerhielm, SamuelColonel Samuel Åkerhielm (1887–1976)	Deputy Chief	3 March 1941	1941	0 years	Army	Olof Thörnell	[f]
3		Ehrensvärd, Carl AugustColonel Carl August Ehrensvärd (1892–1974)	Vice Chief (Souschef)	1942	1944	1–2 years	Army	Olof Thörnell	[25]
4		Swedlund, NilsColonel Nils Swedlund (1898–1965)	Vice Chief (Souschef)	1 January 1944	31 March 1946	2 years, 89 days	Army	Helge Jung	[9]
5		Bonde, ThordColonel Thord Bonde (1900–1969)	Vice Chief	1946	1950	3–4 years	Army	Helge Jung	[g]
6		Östberg, MojeCaptain Moje Östberg (1897–1984)	Vice Chief	1950	1951	0–1 years	Navy	Helge Jung	[29]
7		Myhrman, SamColonel Sam Myhrman (1912–1965)	Vice Chief	1956	1960	3–4 years	Army	Nils Swedlund	[30]
8		Mangård, ÅkeColonel Åke Mangård (1917–1998)	Vice Chief	1960	1961	0–1 years	Air Force	Nils Swedlund	[31]
9		Arvas, DagCaptain Dag Arvas (1913–2004)	Vice Chief	1961	1964	2–3 years	Navy	Torsten Rapp	[32]
10		Lundvall, BengtCaptain Bengt Lundvall (1915–2010)	Vice Chief	1964	1966	1–2 years	Navy	Torsten Rapp	[33]
11		Westin, BoMajor general Bo Westin (1913–2009)	Vice Chief	1966	1968	1–2 years	Navy (Coastal Artillery)	Torsten Rapp	[34]
12		Stenberg, DickMajor general Dick Stenberg (1921–2004)	Vice Chief	1 October 1968	1 April 1970	1 year, 182 days	Air Force	Torsten Rapp	[35]
13		Palmstierna, Nils-FredrikMajor general[h] Nils-Fredrik Palmstierna (1919–1990)	Vice Chief	1 April 1970	1973	2–3 years	Air Force	Stig Synnergren	[36][14]
14		Olson, Sven-OlofMajor general Sven-Olof Olson (1926–2021)	Vice Chief	1973	1977	3–4 years	Air Force	Stig Synnergren	[37]
15		Schuback, BengtRear admiral Bengt Schuback (1928–2015)	Vice Chief	1 July 1977	30 September 1978	1 year, 91 days	Navy	Stig Synnergren	[38][17]
16		Lehander, BengtMajor general Bengt Lehander (1925–1994)	Vice Chief	1 October 1978	30 September 1982	3 years, 364 days	Air Force	Lennart Ljung	[38][18]
17		Persson, Lars-BertilMajor general Lars-Bertil Persson (born 1934)	Deputy Chief[39]	1 October 1982	1986	3–4 years	Air Force	Lennart Ljung	[18][39]
18		Wiktorin, OweMajor general Owe Wiktorin (born 1940)	Deputy Chief[40]	1986	30 June 1991	4–5 years	Air Force	Bengt Gustafsson	[40][20]
2023–present
1		Nykvist, JensRear admiral Jens Nykvist (born 1968)	Deputy Chief	1 July 2023	Incumbent	1 year, 53 days	Navy	Micael Bydén	[41]

• Chief of the General Staff (1873–1937)
• Chief of Defence Staff (2007–2022)

• "PÅ NY POST" (PDF). Försvarets forum: Personaltidning för fast anställda och reservofficerare i svenska försvarsmakten (in Swedish) (4). Stockholm: Försvarets forum. 2023. SELIBR 4109339.

• "Försvarsmaktens interna bestämmelser (FIB 2022:6) med arbetsordning för Försvarsmakten (FIB 2022:6)" (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: Swedish Armed Forces. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2023.