1st Division (Sweden)

The 1st Division^[a] (1. div) is a mechanised division of the Swedish Army based in Västra Götaland County. It has been active since 2022, having previously served between 2000 and 2004. It is headquartered at Skövde Garrison.

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.^[1]

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.^[2]

In 2022, following the 2020 Defence Act,^[3] the division was re-established to lead the newly formed brigades, most of which were established that same year under the same act.^[4]

As at 2022, the planned wartime organisation of the 1st Division, when at full operational capacity, is as follows:^[5]

This organisation is set to expand between 2025 and 2035, adding supporting units such as artillery, reconnaissance, and signals.^[6] 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.^[7]

As a mechanised division, the standard beret colour is black, in line with the Swedish Armoured Troops. However, this is not the only colour used within the division, as supporting units wear different berets.^[8]

The division's march, inherited from the Middle Army Division and officially designated on 27 November 2002, is "Svensk lösen" by Hjalmar Modéer.^[9]

• Riksdagen (25 November 1999). "Det nya försvaret (Proposition 1999/2000:30)". riksdagen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 May 2025.
• Riksdagen (24 September 2004). "Vårt framtida försvar (Proposition 2004/05:5)". riksdagen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 May 2025.
• Sandberg, Bo (2007). Försvarets marscher och signaler förr och nu (in Swedish). Gävle. ISBN 978-91-631-8699-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Försvarsmakten (2015). "Uniformsbestämmelser 2015" (PDF). Reglemente (in Swedish). Stockholm: Swedish Armed Forces.
• Riksdagen (15 October 2020). "Totalförsvaret 2021–2025 (Proposition 2020/21:30)". riksdagen.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 15 July 2023.
• Försvarsmakten (2022). "Planerad utveckling av krigsorganisationen 2021-2030" [Planned development of the war organization 2021-2030] (PDF). forsvarsmakten.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 March 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
• Johansson, Alf (29 September 2022). "Armén skapar divisionsförmåga". forsvarsmakten.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 11 May 2025.
• Kvarnlöf, Karin (10 May 2024). "Svenska och amerikanska divisioner stärker varandra". forsvarsmakten.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 1 August 2025.
• Försvarsmakten (5 June 2024). "Krigsorganisationens utveckling 2025-2035" (PDF). forsvarsmakten.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 11 May 2025.

58°22′46″N 13°50′41″E / 58.37944°N 13.84472°E / 58.37944; 13.84472