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Sweden Armén / Swedish Army - Home Guard Battalions

The Home Guard with the national security forces is part of the Armed Forces 'operational organization and accounts for almost half of the Armed Forces' personnel. The Home Guard units have a high level of basic preparedness - a total of about 22,000 men and women are constantly prepared to carry out sharp efforts nationally in a few hours, up to 24 hours, after alarms. The Home Guard has the task of working across the entire scale of conflict - from support to society in the event of severe strains in peace, to solving tasks in war. The support to society can consist of being helpful in forest fires, floods and searching for missing persons. In the event of war, the Home Guard's tasks include monitoring objects and activities, protecting objects and activities, surface surveillance, escorts, base protection and support to society and other authorities. Sweden is divided into four military regions: north, center, west and south. Each region has a staff whose task is to lead efforts in national crisis situations and support to society. These can be, for example, natural disasters or searches for missing persons. In national crisis situations, it is the responsibility of the regional staffs to coordinate the military effort with the rescue efforts of other authorities. It may be needed when relief efforts are made from several directions at the same time as in the event of fires or floods. Then the regional staffs act as contact points between, for example, the Armed Forces, the Police, the Swedish Maritime Administration, municipalities and county councils.

The regional staff has the overall responsibility to support and coordinate the activities that take place within their geographical area. The staff also acts as a link between the Armed Forces and civil society, and has an active collaboration with the county administrative board and the region. If necessary, the staff also leads initiatives, including in national crisis situations and support to society. Another of the regional staffs' areas of responsibility is to handle surveillance and protection tasks. For example, it could be about protecting a certain area, a military object of protection, from the public entering. Both war and home defense units can be involved in national efforts and support for society. During the operations, the units are under the regional staff. Staffs read in turn during operational command of the Headquarters.

The battalions, which are part of the Home Guard, consists of approximately 1,000 Home Guard soldiers that train and work together. The battalion must be able to operate in all levels of conflict from crisis to war and maintain a high level of preparedness where parts of the unit can be on duty after six hours and the main part after 24 hours. The task is to monitor and protect protected objects both military and civilian, against sabotage units, surface surveillance and be a resource to society in crisis situations. The exercise year consists of a main exercise in the spring and an exercise opportunity in the autumn. For officers and staffs, additional training is conducted during the year. Of course, there will still be time for further training with courses and weapons skills. In addition to a battalion staff with command platoon, the battalion may have two or three task companies, a security company, a Home Guard surveillance company and a Home Guard intelligence company. Other units many include a Home Guard security company, an air force group, a Home Guard music corps, a pioneer platoon and a tolo group, responsible to supply the combat units with fuel and ammunition.

The pioneer platoon can carry out a number of different forms of field work, including mine reconnaissance, fortification work, blasting, and building connections with war bridges. The battalion air group, with the help of smaller aircraft, gives the battalion invaluable intelligence via observations from the air. The air group can also make fast transports of personnel and important equipment. A Home Guard intelligence company's main tasks are surface surveillance and reconnaissance. This means that they are a reconnaissance resource for obtaining facts for decision-making. The units operate on the ground and in the air with air reconnaissance. The battalion may also include a traffic platoon whose task is to carry out traffic routing. When the traffic soldier acts, the soldier does so with the same authority as a police officer. The sea-going parts of the battalion enable movement between islands and ports but are also used for escorting ships or patrolling. The music corps performs at least every other year a mandatory gig during high-shift relief. This gig also serves as a function check of the music corps. Otherwise, the focus as a musician is on the local level with everything from band ceremonies to the music corps' own concert productions.

As servicemen in the Home Guard, the soldiers sign an agreement with the Armed Forces on main service for four to eight days a year. Soldiers in the task force do eight days as a base, while soldiers in the guard company do four days. These contract days are carried out as one or two consecutive exercises per year. In addition, additional exercises are offered during the year.