1st Division (Sweden)

58°22′46″N 13°50′41″E

1st Division
1. Divisionen
Active	2000–2004 2022–present
Country	Sweden
Branch	Swedish Army
Part of	Army Staff
Headquarters	Skövde Garrison
Beret colour	Black[a]
March	"Svensk lösen"[b]
Commanders
Commander	BGen Michael Carlén

The 1st Division (Swedish: 1. Divisionen) is a Swedish Army mechanised division based in Västra Götaland County. It has been active since 2022 and was formerly active between 2000 and 2004. The division is headquartered at Skövde Garrison.

History

In the Defence Act of 2000, the government proposed that the three remaining army divisions, after post–Cold War downsizing, be consolidated into a single, reinforced division to reduce bureaucracy within the army. The Swedish Parliament ultimately approved the proposal, leading to the creation of the 1st Mechanised Division as the successor to the Upper Northern Army Division, the Eastern Army Division, and the Southern Army Division.^[3]

The new division, however, lasted only four years. In the Defence Act of 2004, the government proposed that the division be disbanded and its units be placed directly under the Joint Forces Command, as maintaining a division-sized unit was no longer considered suitable for the army's increasing focus on international operations. It was hence disbanded that same year.^[4]

In 2022, following the 2020 Defence Act,^[5] the division was re-established to lead the newly formed brigades, most of which were established that same year under the same act.^[6]

Stridsvagn 122 of the 7th Mechanised Brigade

Organisation

As at 2022, the planned wartime organisation of the 1st Division, when at full operational capacity, is as follows:^[7]

• 1st Division
  • 1st Division Staff
    • 1st Division Staff Battalion
    • 1st Division Electronic Warfare Battalion
    • 1st Division Support Battalion
    • 1st Division Engineer Battalion
  • 1st Infantry Brigade
  • 4th Mechanised Brigade
  • 7th Mechanised Brigade
  • 19th Arctic Mechanised Brigade

This organisation is set to expand between 2025 and 2035, adding supporting units such as artillery, reconnaissance, and signals.^[8] The division staff is comparatively small relative to those of most other armed forces, designed to be easy to organise and quick to deploy in a rapidly changing battlefield. As of 2024, the division staff comprises only 151 personnel, whereas division staffs like that of the United States' 11th Airborne Division number around 400.^[9]

Commanders

• 2000–2004: BGen Håkan Espmark
• 2004–2022: Inactive
• 2022–2025: BGen Rickard Johansson
• 2025–present: BGen Michael Carlén

Attributes

Name	Translation	From		To
1. mekaniserade divisionen	1st Mechanised Division	2000-07-01	–	2004-12-31
1. divisionen	1st Division	2022-09-01	–
Designation		From		To
1. mekdiv		2000-07-01	–	2004-12-31
1. div		2022-09-01	–
Location		From		To
Enköping Garrison		2000-07-01	–	2003-12-31
Uppsala Garrison		2004-01-01		2004-12-31
Skövde Garrison		2022-09-01	–

Footnotes

1. Black berets are worn by mechanised troops in the Swedish Army.^[1]
2. Composed by Hjalmar Modéer. Originally adopted from the Middle Army Division and designated as the division's march on 27 November 2002.^[2]