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Life Guards (LG)

The Life Guards (LG) train national service and Home Guard personnel, and the international training department of the LG Training Unit also trains approximately 1,800 officers and other ranks annually for service abroad. The Life Guards regiment also houses the Swedish Armed Forces International Centre, SWEDINT, which runs courses for Swedish and international individuals and groups on aspects of peace support operations and multinational staff procedures within the framework of the UN and NATO/PfP (Partnership for Peace). The Life Guards regiment is also the home of the Swedish Armed Forces Dog Instruction Centre which is responsible for procuring and training sniffer and guard dogs for a wide range of security related tasks.

The Life Guards train soldiers to serve in four different types of unit in the event of a crisis or in war. In peacetime there are two training battalions, the Guards and the Dragoons. The Guards battalion trains soldiers for mechanised combat, service in command, control and intelligence units, house to house fighting and state ceremonial duties. The latter include ceremonial guards, guards of honour and guard duties on the occasion of royal audiences and visits. The Dragoons battalion trains military police. In addition the battalion trains national service personnel for guard and surveillance duties and it also trains mounted guardsmen for service on ceremonial occasions

Every year, some 1,200 national service personnel carry out their national service with the unit. Good training is an essential prerequisite for the creation of mission-ready units. The young men and women who have done their national service with the Life Guards are well prepared for international service overseas. The national service recruits undergo training as military police, guard and surveillance personnel and light infantry for operational duties.

The training of national service personnel takes place chiefly at the barracks in Kungsängen where there are some 5,000 hectares of exercise area and firing range. The exercise area offers training opportunities for different types of unit and includes specially constructed derelict buildings for training in house to house combat. The Life Guards regiment also has a dog unit which trains military police dogs and national service dog handlers.

The cavalry barracks in Stockholm houses stables and a riding centre. The Life Guards is the only regiment in Sweden with horses and equestrian training facilities. The horses are used on state ceremonial occasions to provide mounted guards, cortege escorts and guards on the occasion of royal visits.

Each year about 2,000 young men and women serve in the cause of peace and security as members of Sweden's international service unit. They receive training at the international training department which is part of the Life Guards training unit. The training covers both theoretical and practical aspects of work in peace support operations and course content is tailored to the needs of the particular mission concerned.

The Swedish Armed Forces International Centre, SWEDINT, prepares service officers, police officers and civil servants from Sweden and other countries for work in multinational peace support operations within the framework of the UN, NATO/PfP (Partnership for Peace) and EU missions. Since 1 January 2004 SWEDINT has been part of the Life Guards regiment. Students attending SWEDINT's courses represent both governmental bodies and NGOs and come from most parts of the world. All courses are conducted in English.

The Commanding Officer of the Life Guards is responsible for three training groups: the Dalregement group, the Gävleborg group and the Life Guards training group itself. The Life Guards training groups and their Home Guard units are ready to undertake missions in Sweden at short notice. The modern Home Guard units are national forces trained to guard and protect Swedish infrastructure and to provide support for the civil authorities in times of crisis or peacetime emergency.

The Life Guards regiment is also home to the Swedish Armed Forces Dog Instruction Centre. The centre is responsible for procuring and training dogs for a wide range of defence and security related tasks and it provides operational units with suitably trained dogs. Both dogs and their handlers are specifically trained for both national and international tasks. The Swedish Armed Forces Dog Instruction Centre is situated outside Märsta, 50 km north of Stockholm. The dog breeding station is in Sollefteå.