Around a total of 1,000 of our personnel are based outside Sweden, including soldiers, officers and civilian personnel. In certain countries, our missions involve several hundred people. In other places, it can be a question of one or two observers or advisers.
In Sweden, our personnel comprise a mix of permanent employees, national service individuals, home guard soldiers and rapid response units ready to be deployed anywhere in Sweden. Swedish Armed Forces personnel are on active service in Sweden every day, whether helping to search for missing persons or to tackle forest fires. Other tasks include expelling foreign intruders who cross Swedish borders. Such violations are usually in the air or Swedish territorial waters.
Swedish Armed Forces rapid response units are on constant standby for deployment in Sweden or internationally at the request of e.g. the UN. While the most widely known rapid response unit at present is the Nordic Battle Group, we also have demining units, hunters and vessels and submarines. A fleet of JAS 39 Gripens stand ready 24/7 to repel foreign aircraft that intrude on Swedish airspace without permission.