Jonny Lindfors

Swedish army general (born 1975)

Jonny Lindfors

Lindfors in 2023

Birth name| Dan Jonny Mattias Lindfors
Born|  (1975-02-25) 25 February 1975 (age 50)
Jukkasjärvi, Sweden
Allegiance| Sweden
Branch| Swedish Army
Years of service| 1998–present
Rank| Major general
Commands|

* King's Guard Battalion
* Norrbotten Regiment
* Assistant Chief of Armed Forces Training & Procurement
* Chief of Army

Battles / wars| Post-Kosovo War
War in Afghanistan

Major General Dan Jonny Mattias Lindfors (born 25 February 1975) is a Swedish Army officer. Lindfors has served as commander of the King's Guard Battalion in the Life Guards, of Norrbotten Regiment, and as Assistant Chief of Armed Forces Training & Procurement. He assumed the position of Chief of Army on 18 June 2023.

## Early life

[edit]

Lindfors was born on 25 February 1975 in Jukkasjärvi Parish [sv] in Jukkasjärvi, Norrbotten County, Sweden.[1] He grew up in Kiruna in a family of miners. Lindfors wanted to be a fire engineer, sports teacher or architect as a youngster. He chose the military after his mandatory military service in Västernorrland Regiment (I 21) in Sollefteå.[2]

## Career

[edit]

Lindfors was commissioned as an officer in 1998 and was assigned a second lieutenant to Västerbotten Regiment (I 20) in Umeå but was transferred to Lapland Ranger Regiment (I 22) in Kiruna in connection with the Defence Act of 1997 which meant that I 20 was disbanded.[2][3] He served in the Kosovo Force (KFOR) in Kosovo in 2001[4] and during the early 2010s, Lindfors served as major and commander of the 14th Military Police Company in the Life Guards in Kungsängen.[5] He served in Afghanistan in 2011.[4] Lindfors has undergone higher staff training at the Swedish National Defence College, has a master's degree in military science, and has attended the Danish Defence Chief's Security Policy Course.[6] Lindfors served in the Training & Procurement Staff at the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters in Stockholm and in the role was responsible for the planning of the war units' organization and growth until 1 October 2016 when he, as a lieutenant colonel, took up the post as commander of the King's Guard Battalion (Livbataljonen) in the Life Guards.[7] He left this post on 5 June 2017.[8]

Lindfors then attended the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States for a year.[9] On his return home in 2018, he was promoted to colonel and appointed commander of the Norrbotten Regiment from 1 October 2018.[10] He was then at the disposal of the Chief of Armed Forces Training & Procurement at the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters from 18 January 2021.[11] He was promoted in 2021 to brigadier general and was appointed Assistant Chief of Armed Forces Training & Procurement in the Training & Procurement Staff in the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters from 16 March 2021.[12] As Assistant Chief of Armed Forces Training & Procurement, his task was to distribute both resources and assignments to military branches and units.[2] Since 1 January 2023, Lindfors is at the disposal of the Chief of the Defence Staff.[13] Lindfors succeeded Major General Karl Engelbrektson as Chief of Army on 18 June 2023. At the same time, he was promoted to major general.[14] 48 years old when he took office, he is the youngest person to hold the post of army chief in Sweden.

## Personal life

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Lindfors is married and has two children.[2]

## Dates of rank

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* 1998 – Second lieutenant
* ???? – Lieutenant
* ???? – Captain
* ???? – Major
* ???? – Lieutenant colonel
* 2018 – Colonel
* 16 March 2021 – Brigadier general
* 18 June 2023 – Major general

## Awards and decorations

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### Swedish

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* Swedish Armed Forces Conscript Medal
* Swedish Armed Forces International Service Medal
* Norrbotten Regiment Medal of Merit
* Swedish Reserve Officers Federation Merit Badge (Förbundet Sveriges Reservofficerares förtjänsttecken)
* Lapland Ranger Regiment Commemorative Medal

### Foreign

[edit]

* Cross for the Four Day Marches
* NATO Medal for Kosovo
* NATO Non-Article 5 medal for ISAF

## Honours

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* Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences (2022)[6]

## References

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1. ^ Sveriges befolkning 1980 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Sveriges släktforskarförbund. 2004. ISBN 91-87676-37-0. SELIBR 9632925.
2. ^ a b c d Stawreberg, Anna-Maria (2022-11-16). "Nu har vi ekonomin, men inte tiden". Officerstidningen (in Swedish). Retrieved 23 May 2023.
3. ^ Försvarsmaktens rulla 1999 (in Swedish). Stockholm. 1999. p. 513\. SELIBR 21443548.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
4. ^ a b "Nya arméchefen: Avgörandet står på marken" (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
5. ^ Levänen, Paula (December 2011). "Blivande GSS/T på övning: "Det bästa av två världar"". Persen - Tidning för personal vid Livgardet (in Swedish) (8): 10. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
6. ^ a b "Nya ledamöter i Kungl Krigsvetenskapsakademien" (in Swedish). Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences. 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
7. ^ Lindfors, Jonny (2016). "LIVBATALJON 2016". Livdragonen: Medlemsorgan för Livgardets dragoners kamrat- och veteranförening (in Swedish). Stockholm: Livgardets dragoners kamrat- och veteranförening: 4. SELIBR 19315433.
8. ^ "I morgon är det Sveriges nationaldag. Men idag lämnar avgående bataljonschefen, överstelöjtnant Jonny Lindfors, oss för att tjänstgöra i USA..." (in Swedish). Livbataljonen. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2023 - via Facebook.
9. ^ "Han basar över Sveriges kronjuvel" (in Swedish). Boden Municipality. 2020-04-24. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
10. ^ "PÅ NY POST" (PDF). Försvarets forum: Personaltidning för fast anställda och reservofficerare i svenska försvarsmakten (in Swedish) (3). Stockholm: Försvarets forum: 9. 2018. SELIBR 4109339.
11. ^ "PÅ NY POST" (PDF). Försvarets forum: Personaltidning för fast anställda och reservofficerare i svenska försvarsmakten (in Swedish) (6). Stockholm: Försvarets forum: 9. 2020. SELIBR 4109339.
12. ^ "PÅ NY POST" (PDF). Försvarets forum: Personaltidning för fast anställda och reservofficerare i svenska försvarsmakten (in Swedish) (2). Stockholm: Försvarets forum: 9. 2021. SELIBR 4109339.
13. ^ "PÅ NY POST" (PDF). Försvarets forum: Personaltidning för fast anställda och reservofficerare i svenska försvarsmakten (in Swedish) (1). Stockholm: Försvarets forum: 6. 2023. SELIBR 4109339.
14. ^ "PÅ NY POST" (PDF). Försvarets forum: Personaltidning för fast anställda och reservofficerare i svenska försvarsmakten (in Swedish) (3). Stockholm: Försvarets forum: 8. 2023. SELIBR 4109339.

Military offices

Preceded by

Anders Callert

|  Assistant Chief of Armed Forces Training & Procurement
2021–2023  | Succeeded by

None

Preceded by

Karl Engelbrektson

|  Chief of Army
2023–present  |  Succeeded by

Incumbent