1st Division (Sweden)
| 1st Division | |
|---|---|
| 1. Divisionen | |
 | |
| Active | 2000–2004 2022–present |
| Country |  Sweden |
| Branch |  Swedish Army |
| Headquarters | Skövde garrison |
| Beret colour | Black |
| March | "Svensk lösen" [note 1] |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | BGen Rickard Johansson |
The 1st Division (Swedish: 1. Divisionen) is a Swedish Army mechanized division located in the county of Västra Götaland, active since 2022. It was previously active 2000–2004. The division is headquartered at Skövde garrison with the Skaraborg Regiment.
History
[edit]In the Defence Act of 2000, the government proposed that the three remaining army divisions, following post–Cold War downsizing, be consolidated into a single, reinforced division to reduce bureaucracy within the army. The Swedish Parliament ultimately approved the proposal, leading to the creation of the 1st Mechanized Division as the successor to the Upper Northern Army Division, the Eastern Army Division, and the Southern Army Division.[1]
The new division, however, lasted only four years. In the Defence Act of 2004, the government proposed that the division be disbanded and its unit be placed directly under the Joint Forces Command, as maintaining a division-sized unit was no longer considered suitable for the army's increasing focus on international operations. Hence, it was disbanded that same year.[2]
In 2022, following the 2020 Defence Act,[3] the division was re-established to lead the newly formed brigades, which were also created that same year.[4]
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Organization
[edit]As of 2022, the planned wartime organization of the 1st Division at full operational capacity is as follows: [5]
- 1st Division
- 1st Division Staff
- 1st Division Staff Battalion
- 1st Division Electronic Warfare Battalion
- 1st Division Support Battalion
- 1st Division Engineer Battalion
- 1st Infantry Brigade
- 4th Mechanized Brigade
- 7th Mechanized Brigade
- 19th Arctic Mechanized Brigade
- 1st Division Staff
This organization will be expanding throughout 2025–2035 with more supporting units, including artillery, reconnaissance and signal units.[6]
Commanders
[edit]- 2000–2004: BGen Håkan Espmark
- 2004–2022: Inactive
- 2022–2025: BGen Rickard Johansson
- 2025–present: BGen Michael Carlén
Attributes
[edit]| Name | Translation | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. mekaniserade divisionen | 1st Mechanized Division | 2000-07-01 | – | 2004-12-31 |
| 1. divisionen | 1st Division | 2022-09-01 | – | |
| Designation | From | To | ||
| 1. mekdiv | 2000-07-01 | – | 2004-12-31 | |
| 1. div | 2022-09-01 | – | ||
| Location | From | To | ||
| Enköping garrison | 2000-07-01 | – | 2003-12-31 | |
| Uppsala garrison | 2004-01-01 | 2004-12-31 | ||
| Skövde garrison | 2022-09-01 | – |
Footnotes
[edit]- ^ The march was inherited from the Middle Army Division and was established on 27 November 2002.
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]Web
[edit]- Riksdagen (1999-11-25). "Det nya försvaret (Proposition 1999/2000:30)". riksdagen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-05-13.
- Riksdagen (2004-09-24). "Vårt framtida försvar (Proposition 2004/05:5)". riksdagen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-05-13.
- Riksdagen (2020-10-15). "Totalförsvaret 2021–2025 (Proposition 2020/21:30)". riksdagen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- Försvarsmakten (2022). "Planerad utveckling av krigsorganisationen 2021-2030" [Planned development of the war organization 2021-2030] (PDF). forsvarsmakten.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-03-10. Retrieved 2025-03-27.
- Johansson, Alf (2022-09-29). "Armén skapar divisionsförmåga". forsvarsmakten.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-05-11.
- Försvarsmakten (2024-06-05). "Krigsorganisationens utveckling 2025-2035" (PDF). forsvarsmakten.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-05-11.