Chief of Air Force (Sweden)

Chief of Air Force (Swedish: Flygvapenchef, FVC) is the most senior appointment in the Swedish Air Force. The position Chief of Air Force was introduced in 1926 and the current form in 2014.

Chief of Air Force Flygvapenchef
Command flag of the Chief of Air Force.
Incumbent Major general Carl-Johan Edström since 1 October 2019
Swedish Air Force
Reports to	The Chief of Swedish Armed Forces Training and Development[1]
Seat	Lidingövägen 24, Stockholm, Sweden
Nominator	Minister for Defence
Appointer	The Government
Formation	1 July 1926
First holder	Karl Amundson

History

The position and the staff agency "Chief of the Air Force" (Swedish: Chefen för flygvapnet, CFA) was created for a central leadership of the Air Force in peacetime[2][3] through the formation of the Swedish Air Force as an independent military branch which took place on 1 July 1926.[4] Following a larger reorganization of the Swedish Armed Forces in 1994, the staff agency Chief of the Air Force ceased to exist as an independent agency. Instead, the post Chief of Air Force Staff (Swedish: Chefen för flygvapenledningen) was created at the then newly instituted Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters. In 1998, the Swedish Armed Forces was again reorganized. Most of the duties of the Chief of Air Force Staff were transferred to the newly instituted post of "Inspector General of the Air Force" (Swedish: Generalinspektören för flygvapnet). The post is similar to that of the "Inspector General of the Army" (Swedish: Generalinspektören för armén) and the "Inspector General of the Navy" (Swedish: Generalinspektören för marinen).[5] It was later renamed to "Inspector of the Air Force" (Swedish: Flygvapeninspektören).[3]

On 1 January 2014, the "Chief of Air Force" (Swedish: Flygvapenchefen, FVC) position was reinstated in the Swedish Armed Forces. The position has not the same duties as before.[6]

Tasks

Tasks of the Chief of Air Force:[7]

• Lead the units which the Chief of Swedish Armed Forces Training and Development has distributed
• To the Chief of Swedish Armed Forces Training and Development propose the development of the units' abilities
• Being the foremost representative of the units
• Represent the units and the area of ability in international contacts

Heraldry

The command flag of the Chief of Air Force is drawn by Brita Grep and embroidered by hand by the company Libraria. Blazon: "Fessed in yellow and blue; on yellow two blue batons of command with sets of open yellow crowns placed two and one in saltire, on blue a winged two-bladed yellow propeller."[8]

List of chiefs

Chiefs of Air Force

No.		Chief of the Air Force Chefen för flygvapnet	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
1		Amundson, KarlMajor general Karl Amundson (1873–1938)	1 July 1926	25 February 1931	4 years, 239 days	-
2		Virgin, EricMajor general Eric Virgin (1876–1950)	26 Februari 1931	30 June 1934	3 years, 124 days	-
3		Friis, TorstenMajor general Torsten Friis (1882–1967)	1 July 1934	30 June 1942	7 years, 364 days	-
4		Nordenskiöld, BengtLieutenant general Bengt Nordenskiöld (1891–1983)	1 July 1942	30 June 1954	11 years, 364 days	[9]
5		Ljungdahl, AxelLieutenant general Axel Ljungdahl (1897–1995)	1 July 1954	30 June 1960	5 years, 365 days	-
6		Rapp, TorstenLieutenant general Torsten Rapp (1905–1993)	1 July 1960[note 1]	30 September 1961	1 year, 91 days	[10]
7		Thunberg, LageLieutenant general Lage Thunberg (1905–1977)	1 October 1961	30 September 1968	6 years, 273 days	[11]
-		Nordenskiöld, Claës-HenrikMajor general Claës-Henrik Nordenskiöld (1917–2003) Acting	1 July 1968	30 September 1968	91 days	-
8		Norén, StigLieutenant general Stig Norén (1908–1996)	1 October 1968	30 September 1973	4 years, 364 days	-
9		Stenberg, DickLieutenant general Dick Stenberg (1921–2004)	1 October 1973	30 September 1982	8 years, 364 days	[12]
10		Olson, Sven-OlofLieutenant general Sven-Olof Olson (born 1926)	1 October 1982	30 September 1988	5 years, 365 days	-
11		Englund, Lars-ErikLieutenant general Lars-Erik Englund (1934–2010)	1 October 1988	30 June 1994	5 years, 272 days	[13][14]

Chiefs of Air Force Staff

No.		Chief of Air Force Staff Chef för flygvapenledningen	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
11		Englund, Lars-ErikLieutenant general Lars-Erik Englund (1934–2010)	1 July 1994	30 September 1994	91 days	[14]
12		Harrskog, KentLieutenant general Kent Harrskog (born 1944)	1 October 1994	30 June 1998	3 years, 364 days	[14][15]

Inspectors General of the Air Force

No.		Inspector General of the Air Force Generalinspektör för flygvapnet	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
13		Jonsson, JanMajor general Jan Jonsson (born 1952)	1 July 1998	30 June 2000	1 year, 365 days	[15][16]
14		Nilsson, MatsMajor general Mats Nilsson (born 1956)	1 July 2000	1 December 2002	2 years, 153 days	[16][17]
15		Andersson, JanMajor general Jan Andersson (born 1955)	1 January 2003[17]	2003	0 years	-

Inspectors of the Air Force

No.		Inspector of the Air Force Flygvapeninspektör	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
15		Andersson, JanMajor general Jan Andersson (born 1955)	2003	29 February 2008	4–5 years	-
16		Silwer, AndersMajor general Anders Silwer (born 1959)	1 March 2008	31 December 2011	3 years, 305 days	[18]
17		Bydén, MicaelMajor general Micael Bydén (born 1964)	1 January 2012	2014	1–2 years	[19]

Chiefs of Air Force

No.		Chief of Air Force Flygvapenchef	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
17		Bydén, MicaelMajor general Micael Bydén (born 1964)	2014	30 September 2015	0–1 years	-
18		Helgesson, MatsMajor general Mats Helgesson (born 1964)	1 October 2015	1 October 2019	4 years, 0 days	[20][21]
19		Edström, Carl-JohanMajor general Carl-Johan Edström (born 1967)	1 October 2019	Incumbent	310 days	[21]

List of deputy chiefs

Deputy Chiefs of Air Force

	Deputy Chief of Air Force Ställföreträdande flygvapenchef	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
	Edström, Carl-JohanBrigadier general Carl-Johan Edström (born 1967)	1 January 2019	30 September 2019	272 days	[21]
	Persson, AndersBrigadier general Anders Persson (born 1968)	1 October 2019	Incumbent	310 days	[22]

See also

• Chief of Army (Sweden)
• Chief of Navy (Sweden)

Footnotes

1. Appointed on 15 January 1960 but didn't take office until 1 July 1960.[10]

References

1. "PRODUKTIONSLEDNINGEN" (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
2. "Chefen för flygvapnet". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish). Retrieved 11 March 2016.
3. Försvarets traditioner i framtiden med översiktlig historik från 1500-talet (PDF) (in Swedish). Statens försvarshistoriska museer TradN. 2015. p. 12. ISBN 9789197859554. SELIBR 17552963. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-24.
4. "Lars-Erik Englund, flygvapenchef 1988–1994" (PDF). F18-kamraten: tidning för F18 kamratförening med medlemmar ur Kungl Södertörns flygflottilj/flygvapnets Södertörnsskolor (in Swedish). Uttran: F18 kamratförening (42): 3. 2010. SELIBR 10339544.
5. Nordgren, Annika; et al. (24 February 1998). "Motion till riksdagen 1997/98:Fö3" (in Swedish). Riksdag. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
6. "Nya namn på nya poster" [New names for new positions] (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. 20 December 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
7. Försvarets författningssamling: FFS 2013:4 (PDF) (in Swedish). Stockholm: TF-redaktionen, Försvarets materielverk. 2013-12-23. p. 18. ISSN 0347-7576. SELIBR 3683131.
8. Braunstein, Christian (2004). Svenska försvarsmaktens fälttecken efter millennieskiftet [The flags and standards of the Swedish armed forces after the turn of the millennium] (PDF). Skrift / Statens försvarshistoriska museer, 1101-7023 ; 7 [dvs 8] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Statens försvarshistoriska museer. p. 108. ISBN 91-971584-7-X. SELIBR 9815350. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-05-22. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
9. Böhme, Klaus-Richard (1990–1991). "Bengt G Nordenskiöld". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). 27. National Archives of Sweden. p. 292. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
10. Norén, Stig (1995–1997). "B Torsten Rapp". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). 29. National Archives of Sweden. p. 675. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
11. Skoglund, Claës (2009). Det bästa försvarsbeslut som aldrig kom till stånd: ett kontrafaktiskt uppslag (PDF). Publikation / Försvaret och det kalla kriget (FOKK), 1652-5388 ; 17 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Svenskt militärhistoriskt bibliotek. p. 48. ISBN 9789185789573. SELIBR 11704940.
12. Scheiderbauer, Sven (2007–2011). "Dick Stenberg". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). 33. National Archives of Sweden. p. 225. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
13. Charleville, Jahn, ed. (1988). "Ny CFV" [New Chief of the Air Force] (PDF). Flygvapennytt (in Swedish). Stockholm: Flygstaben (1): 2. SELIBR 8257600.
14. "Flygvapnets nye chef" (PDF). Flygvapennytt (in Swedish). Stockholm: Flygstaben (1): 2. 1994. SELIBR 8257600.
15. "Flygvapnets främste företrädare: Generalmajor JAN JONSSON" (PDF). Flygvapennytt (in Swedish). Stockholm: Flygstaben (2): 2–3. 1998. SELIBR 8257600.
16. Liander, Peter (2000). "Mats Nilsson. Ny GI för flygvapnet" (PDF). Flygvapennytt (in Swedish). Stockholm: Flygstaben (2): 38. SELIBR 8257600.
17. Liander, Peter (2002). "Mats Nilsson lämnar GI-posten. Jan Andersson tar över" (PDF). Flygvapennytt (in Swedish). Stockholm: Flygstaben (4): 5. SELIBR 8257600.
18. "VIKBO 1960" (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
19. Bydén, Micael (1 January 2012). "I NY BEFATTNING!" (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
20. "Mats Helgesson ny flygvapenchef" [Mats Helgesson new Chief of Air Force] (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. 17 September 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
21. "Ny flygvapenchef utsedd" [New Chief of Air Force appointed] (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. 5 September 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
22. Ullman, Angela (2 October 2019). "Ny flygvapenchef tog befälet" (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. Retrieved 9 October 2019.