Bengt Gustafsson (general)

General Sten Bengt Gustaf Gustafsson (2 December 1933 – 15 March 2019) was a Swedish Army officer. He served as the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces from 1986 to 1994.

Bengt Gustafsson
Bengt Gustafsson during the early 1980s
Birth name	Sten Bengt Gustaf Gustafsson
Born	(1933-12-02)2 December 1933 Hästveda, Sweden
Died	15 March 2019(2019-03-15) (aged 85) Stockholm, Sweden
Allegiance	Sweden
Service/branch	Swedish Army
Years of service	1955–1994
Rank	General
Commands held	Svea Engineer Regiment Upper Norrland Military District Supreme Commander

Biography

Early life

Gustafsson was born on 2 December 1933 in Hästveda, Sweden, the son of Gustav Svensson, a radio technician, and his wife Frida (née Lundell).[1] Gustafsson's early interests included football, handball, chess and bridge, running and high jump. In the primary school (folkskola), he did not like the teacher very well, but in the secondary school (realskola) it went better, but the adaptation was not quite good, as there was some teachers he found it hard to get along with. Gustafsson also had difficulty in being quiet at the lessons.[2]

Gustafsson graduated without any detention in the spring of 1950 with passed grades. Then he worked at a gas station until Christmas 1950, after which he quit there because it was too cold and badly paid. Gustafsson then worked at a social insurance agency with registers and such but thought it was monotonous. For many years, he had thought to become a pilot, preferably officer, otherwise in the commercial aviation. He'd otherwise thought of a possible engineering education. Gustafsson studied at the education company Hermods AB, courses in practical mathematics, aerodynamics, aeronautics, airplane engines and materials.[2]

Military career

The characteristic statements made about Gustafsson dated 7 March 1951 read;[2] "his general intelligence as a whole, barely above average, as well as technical understanding and flight orientation, while the engine test gives a score above average. The review in social and psychological issues about normal for the age. Also maturation is about average, medium energy resources and reasonably able to organize them. Emotional life a little immature and not very nuanced, largely stable. Initiative mediocre, the ability to moderate endurance. Reliability and responsibility are not yet fully mature, but probably acceptable. Deficiencies in any adaptation, has little difficulty with self-discipline."[2]

Gustafsson started his military career as a sergeant pilot. Gustafsson was admitted to the training but did not quite manage the flight itself. Gustafsson's assessment in the air dated 27 July 1951 read; "Poor sense of speed. Immature, forgetful, sloppy. Poor attention distribution. Poor mental activity in the air." and on the ground "Good ability, initiative and energetic. Calm and sensible. Reliable. Intelligent."[2] 40 years later, as general and Supreme Commander, Gustafsson commented the characteristic statement "which shows, which eventually becomes a life experience, that it takes a long time, individually different long time, to be reasonably complete as an adult. In a jokeful manner you might say that it soon turned out that I fitted best on the ground when comparing ratings from air and ground teachers."[2] He attended the Royal Swedish Army Staff College in 1959 and became an officer in Boden Engineer Corps (Ing 3). Gustafsson was promoted to lieutenant in 1961 and attended the Military Academy in 1966 and was promoted to captain the following year. He was the General Staff Officer in the Army Staff and the Defence Staff from 1966 to 1979 and was Director at the Swedish Civil Defence Board from 1970 to 1973.[1]

Gustafsson attended the National Defence College in 1971 and 1982.[1] He was promoted to major in 1972, to lieutenant colonel in 1974 and to lieutenant colonel with special position held in 1975. Gustafsson was appointed battalion commander at Älvsborg Regiment (I 15) in 1979 and was promoted to colonel and was appointed regimental commander of Svea Engineer Regiment (Ing 1) in 1981.[1] He was promoted to colonel 1st class in 1982 and was appointed Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, a position he stayed in until 1984. Gustafsson was promoted to lieutenant general and was military commander of the Upper Norrland Military District (Milo ÖN) from 1984 to 1986.[1] He was promoted to general and assumed the post of Supreme Commander in 1986. Gustafsson's term as Supreme Commander was marked initially by continued submarine hunts, but came increasingly to be about the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact. Although the effects both for the world and for the Swedish defense policy became even clearer for the next Supreme Commander.[3] In 1992, his appointment as Supreme Commander was extended to 1 July 1994, when he retired.[4]

Other work

Gustafsson became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences in 1979.[5] In 1990, Gustafsson became an honorary member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences, but he left in 2004.[6] Gustafsson became a board member of the General Defense Association (Allmänna försvarsföreningen) in 1982, of Swedair in 1983 and the National Swedish Board of Voluntary Military Training (Överstyrelsen för frivillig befälsutbildning) in 1984.[7]

Personal life

In 1957 he married Inger Gustafsson.[1] They had three children, one son and two daughters.[8]

Gustafsson died in his home on 15 March 2019.[9][10] The funeral is held at Hedvig Eleonora Church in Stockholm on 5 April 2019.[10]

Dates of rank

• 1959 – Fänrik
• 1961 – Lieutenant
• 1967 – Captain
• 1972 – Major
• 1974 – Lieutenant Colonel
• 1981 – Colonel
• 1982 – Colonel 1st Class
• 19?? – Major General
• 1984 – Lieutenant General
• 1986 – General

Awards and decorations

• H. M. The King's Medal, 12th size gold medal with chain (1992)[11]

Bibliography

• Gustafsson, Bengt (2010). Sanningen om ubåtsfrågan: ett försök till analys. Försvaret och det kalla kriget (FOKK), 1652-5388 ; 23 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Santérus. ISBN 978-91-7359-040-2. SELIBR 11832973.
• Gustafsson, Bengt (2007). Det sovjetiska hotet mot Sverige under det kalla kriget. Publikation / Försvaret och det kalla kriget (FOKK), 1652-5388 ; 12 (in Swedish) (1st ed.). Stockholm: Försvarshögskolan. ISBN 978-91-85401-84-0. SELIBR 10684177.
• Gustafsson, Bengt (2006). Det "kalla kriget": några reflexioner. Publikation / Försvaret och det kalla kriget (FOKK), 1652-5388 ; 9 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Försvarshögskolan. ISBN 91-85401-55-2. SELIBR 10315918.
• Gustafsson, Bengt (1994). Åtta år av förändring (in Swedish). Stockholm: Informationsavd., Försvarsmakten. ISBN 91-972385-0-3. SELIBR 7796994.

References

1. Uddling, Hans; Paabo, Katrin, eds. (1992). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1993 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1993] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 402. ISBN 91-1-914072-X.
2. Christofferson, Lars; Regefalk, Egon (1994). "Flygvapnets huvudjägare under 50 år" (PDF). Flygvapennytt (in Swedish). Stockholm: Flygstaben (4): 14–15. SELIBR 8257600.
3. "Alla våra överbefälhavare" (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
4. "Utnämningar/förordnanden" (PDF). Flygvapennytt (in Swedish). Stockholm: Flygstaben (2): 39. 1992. ISSN 0015-4792. SELIBR 8257600.
5. Kjellander, Rune (1996). Kungl Krigsvetenskapsakademien: Svenska krigsmanna sällskapet (till 1805), Kungl Krigsvetenskapsakademien : biografisk matrikel med porträttgalleri 1796-1995 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Akad. p. 186. ISBN 91-630-4181-2. SELIBR 7451162.
6. Kjellander, Rune (2007). Svenska marinens högre chefer 1700–2005. Chefsbiografier och befattningsöversikter (in Swedish). Stockholm: Probus. p. 242. ISBN 978-91-87184-83-3. SELIBR 10452099.
7. Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1985 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1985] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. 1984. p. 403. ISBN 91-1-843222-0.
8. Österholm, Ulla-Lene (12 May 1998). "Min son har schizofreni" [My son has schizophrenia]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 May 2016.
9. "ÖB: "Bengt Gustafsson var en personlig vän"". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). TT. 16 March 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
10. "BENGT GUSTAFSSON". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 March 2019.
11. "Sök medaljförläning" (in Swedish). Royal Court of Sweden. Retrieved 25 May 2016.

External links

Media related to Bengt Gustafsson at Wikimedia Commons

Military offices
Preceded by Erik G. Bengtsson	Upper Norrland Military District 1984–1986	Succeeded by Lars-Erik Englund
Preceded by Lennart Ljung	Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces 1986–1994	Succeeded by Owe Wiktorin