Wartime posting is extended for 5 000 conscript soldiers

During the coming Defence Resolution periods, the war organisation of the Swedish Armed Forces will grow. A number of war units will be established or expanded, as well as staffed, equipped and exercised. This poses many challenges; not least regarding personnel, as building military capability takes time. One way of speeding up the process is to use the already trained conscript soldiers in the personnel reserve, i.e. those who have undergone basic training, but who lack wartime posting in a war unit.

“It is prudent to use some of the already trained soldiers to staff some of the new units. This means that we can focus our basic training on war units containing advanced materiel, or where it is vital to have relevant and updated skills and competences”, says Lieutenant General Johan Svensson, Chief of Training and Procurement.

In close cooperation with the Swedish Defence Recruitment Agency (TRM), the composition of the personnel reserve has been analysed. More than 5 000 conscript soldiers have had their wartime posting extended. Wartime postings normally last for ten years following the most recent term of service. These conscript soldiers will be called in for short refresher training, and will then receive wartime postings in the new local defence battalions as well as in the surveillance units of the military bases.

Criteria for selection have been age (no person born earlier than 1986), as well as usability and commendations from the most recent term of service. The criteria have then been matched with the requirements of the new units. This means that more than 5 000 conscript soldiers now have had their wartime posting extended, in line with the extension decision made by the TRM on 26 November 2020. The objective is that at least 4 000 will be able to receive a new wartime posting in a war unit.