The Home Guard

The Home Guard in Gothenburg

The Home Guard in Gothenburg
Photographer: Johan Lundahl/Alexander Karlsson/Combat Camera

The Home Guard constitutes the greater part of Sweden's territorial defence forces. Home Guard personnel are volunteers and are recruited locally. Their duties are to guard and protect Swedish infrastructure against sabotage.

Territory surveillance, field work, providing escorts, transport protection, target identification and artillery spotting are other tasks that the Home Guard can be expected to carry out. Special rapid response platoons and companies have more specialised tasks, a longer training period and are equipped with their own vehicles to ensure mobility. All units must be able to support the civil community in times of crisis or disaster in peacetime.

Eight of the voluntary defence organisations have personnel in the Home Guard, providing special skills and expertise.

Home Guard units are trained both locally and regionally. Commanders, other officers and specialists also receive training at the National Home Guard Combat School in Vällinge, south of Stockholm.

To be accepted into the Home Guard you must be a Swedish citizen, aged at least 18 and with at least 85 days of basic military training.

Headquarters
Public Relations Staff
+46 (0)8 - 788 75 00
webbredaktionen@mil.se