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 Chief of Defence) and heads the Defence Staff. The Chief of the Defence Staff reports to the Chief of Defence and serves as their chief of staff.[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 abolished.
The Chief of the Defence Staff serves as the Chief of Defence's chief of staff. In this role, the Chief of the Defence Staff, under the Chief of Defence, is responsible for coordinating strategic planning and military strategic command, and for ensuring that all matters, inquiries, and tasks submitted to the authority are processed and prepared as their nature requires. This responsibility includes coordinating activities within the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters, as well as ensuring that decisions made by the authority's leadership are implemented, monitored, and that results are reported back to the leadership.[2]
^ abSupreme Commander 1937–2024, Chief of Defence 2024–present.
^On 1 July 1936, the then Inspector General of the Infantry, Major General Olof Thörnell, was promoted to lieutenant general and at the same time appointed Chief of the Defence Staff. Thörnell now began the organization work. On 1 July 1937, the new staff gathered and the Chief of Defence Staff took command.[3]
^On 8 December 1939, Thörnell was appointed Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces[4] without at the same time appointing a new Chief of the Defence Staff.[5] After Thörnell's appointment as Supreme Commander for the mobilized elements of the armed forces in December 1939, Major General Axel Rappe was appointed Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff. This meant that Rappe in reality served as Chief of the Defence Staff.[6]
^Bredberg was granted a leave of absence on 21 January 1944.[7] He did not return to the post but officially left the post on 15 November 1945 when he was appointed military commander of the V Military District.[8]
^During the winter of 1939, when Axel Rappe was commanding officer of the Svea Artillery Regiment in Stockholm, he was made available for service to the Chief of the Defence Staff. After Olof Thörnell's appointment as Supreme Commander for the mobilized elements of the armed forces in December 1939, Rappe was appointed Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff. This meant that Rappe in reality served as Chief of the Defence Staff.[6]
^Furtenbach (1964) states that Åkerhielm relieved Rappe of command on 3 March 1941[25] while Cronenberg (1995-1997) states that Rappe served until 31 March 1941.[6] Harnesk (1948) states that Åkerhielm served as Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff no longer than 1941.[26] Furthermore, Furtenbach (1964) states that Åkerhielm was major general while Harnesk (1948) states that Åkerhielm was promoted to major general in 1942, a year after serving as Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff.
^According to Lagerström (1968)[28] and other sources,[29] Bonde was appointed Vice Chief of the Defence Staff in 1946 and his next appointment was as second-in-command of the Svea Life Guards (I 1) in 1950. However, between these postings, Bonde held the position as Chief of Staff of United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) from May 1948 to July 1948.[30]
^Palmstierna was colonel when taking office on 1 April and was promoted to major general on 1 October the same year.[15]
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Wennerholm, Bertil, ed. (2015). Så kom JAS-projektet till: vittnesseminarium kring beslutsprocessen om JAS 39 1979-1983 : 11 november 2013. Forskningsprojektet Försvaret och det kalla kriget (FOKK), 1652-5388 ; 45 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Forskningsprojektet Försvaret och det kalla kriget (FoKK. ISBN9789198049886. SELIBR18205009.
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"PÅ NY POST"(PDF). Försvarets forum: Personaltidning för fast anställda och reservofficerare i svenska försvarsmakten (in Swedish) (4). Stockholm: Försvarets forum. 2023. SELIBR4109339.