1st Marine Regiment

The 1st Marine Regiment (Amf 1), also known as the Amphibious Regiment [Amfibieregementet], operates wherever land and water meet. The Amphibious Corps was designed, organised and equipped for a mobile defence of Sweden's own coastline, not for the classic role of marines, attacking land from the sea. As of 2009 it had a strength of 337 Regular officers, 79 Civilian employees, and 913 Reserve officers. Prior to July 2010, when Sweden's compulsory military service scheme came to an end, there were 189 enrolling for national service.

The regiment is responsible for producing an international marine force capable of operating both nationally and internationally. The unit has capabilities covering surface and underwater operations, as well as airborne and land operations, which together provide the ability to exercise control of littoral areas, so ensuring that land and marine units have access to, or are able to pass through, a particular area. This requires the ability to move swiftly - and covertly when necessary - and to operate in small units.

The Amphibious Regiment trains marine soldiers in a variety of special capabilities. These include coastal rangers, special operations divers, marine infantrymen and maintenance technicians.

The Amphibious Battalion constitutes the regiment's combat unit. Its marine unit soldiers are equipped to use controllable mines, missile systems, grenade launchers and other weapon systems. The Amphibious Battalion moves and fights with the Fast Attack Craft 90H and the armoured version 90 HS. These combat boats are armed with heavy automatic weapons. Amf 1 also operates patrol craft. These are use for surface surveillance patrols, maritime control and cooperation with naval forces in anti-submarine operations. The unit also trains boarding parties whose task is to monitor shipping in a variety of situations.

The Amphibious Regiment was responsible for the establishment and training of the amphibious force, TD 01, which constituted the Swedish contribution to the EUFOR mission in Chad and the Central African Republic.

FMV placed the order for hovercraft with the British firm Griffon Hovercraft. The hovercraft are intended for the transportation of people and equipment, regardless of water depth and icing conditions. The hovercraft are adapted for international operations, with features such as air conditioning, splinter protection and NBC protection like the Amphibious Battalion's other assault craft and landing craft. The procurement, which has been made in international competition, has been "design-to-cost". This means that the maximum price of the product has been fixed. Competition has then had to decide how many of the Swedish Armed Forces' wishes have been met. This arrangement has considerably reduced the project risks in comparison with conventional procurement, which is in line with the requirements expressed by the Swedish Armed Forces. "We at FMV are very satisfied with the procurement. It will give the Armed Forces hovercraft that meet the requirements set within the financial framework the project has been given," comments FMV project manager Sebastian Brunes. The hovercraft have a load capacity of around 11 tonnes and can be used flexibly to transport 50 people and, for example, vehicles or containers. The hovercraft were delivered between October 2006 and March 2007.

The Government is establishing a new focus for Swedish defence in its Bill A functional defence 2008/09:140. In the Bill, the Government proposes a principle focus for the work of achieving a more functional and available defence. A defence that, unlike the old model, can immediately be deployed, wherever it is needed, to be completed by 2014. The amphibious battalion will be converted into a manoeuvre battalion with amphibious capability. This will primarily focus on off-shore sea combat and port areas.

Amphibious Battalions

In the mid-1990s six amphibious battalions were being organized. The Swedish amphibious battalions place the main emphasis on the light anti-shipping capability provided by the amphibious company in each battalion, and the rest of the battalion to a large part exists to enable the amphibious company's combat by providing it with recce and protection.

The original Swedish coastal jaeger companies trained for combat against small enemy (SOF) units. When Sweden started coastal jaeger training, the conscripts [now reservists] were placed in independent coastal jaeger companies that were organic to the static brigade sized coastal artillery units, and had recon and counter attacks as their main missions. The counter attack mission was seen as very important from a morale point of view, since it was believed that besieged defenders quickly would lose hope if they didn't think anyone would come and help them from the enemy onslaught. More recent coastal jaeger developments seem to indicate a new offensive SOF like DA role for them in addition to their recce duties.

The Swedish amphibious formations have been in a near constant flux since the end of the Cold War. In the 1990's the Swedish amphibious community realized that "våldsam landstigning" (literally "violent beach landing"), once the crown jewel of Swedish coastal jaeger combat, potentially had problems, such as extremely heavy casualties. The Swedes had a amphibious brigade as part of their wartime amphibious units before the big cuts of the amphibious units started.

Swedish coastal ranger Company (180 men) :

• HQ platoon (37 men) : 2 CB90L, 1 G-Boat, 1 CB90E-Ambulance boat,
• 3 ranger platoons (3 x 47 men) :
• HQ section (11 men) : 3 CB90H boats, 1 G-Boat,
• 3 combat sections (3 x 12 men, each in 2 fire-teams of 1 team leader, 1 radio operator, 2 grenadiers w M203, 1 sniper w L96A1, 1 machine-gunner w FN-Minimi).