Sweden Will Consider Transitioning to Corps-Division Structure For Its Army

Sweden plans to reorganize the structure of its ground forces to create large units—divisions and a corps.

This was reported by Hartpunkt.

The Swedish military command has presented the 1–3-NEXT: Army 2040 concept, which calls for the creation of one corps, three divisions, territorial forces, and a reserve.

However, 1–3-NEXTdoes not yet have final funding or a detailed implementation plan. The document primarily outlines the direction of the Swedish Army’s development through 2040.

The Swedish Army aims to be capable of conducting large-scale combat operations while simultaneously carrying out missions as part of NATO forces.

One of the major changes will be the creation of a Swedish multinational corps. It will be able to command Swedish and allied forces, as well as coordinate intelligence, artillery, air defense, and electronic warfare. The Swedish command expects to achieve this capability in approximately 15 years.

The corps will consist of three divisions.

The Northern Division will be responsible for northern Sweden and northern Finland. It will have to operate over long distances, in challenging weather conditions, and with limited infrastructure.

The Central Division will defend central Sweden and will be able to redeploy forces northward to reinforce the force.

The Southern Division will be responsible for the south of the country, Gotland, Øresund Strait, and areas critical for the deployment of allied forces to the Baltic region.

The plan is to form mechanized and infantry brigades within the divisions. Separately, the command intends to form deep-strike brigades, which will be equipped with long-range artillery and electronic warfare capabilities. They will be able to attack key enemy targets at significant distances, particularly the enemy’s logistics.

A separate role will be assigned to territorial forces. They will defend ports, airfields, railway hubs, logistics centers, and other critical facilities. This should allow the main combat units to focus on carrying out combat missions, while enabling Sweden to support the redeployment of NATO troops through its territory.

As of today, the army is organized to be capable of forming a single division of approximately 15,000 service members, although it is not yet fully deployed. This is the 1st Division (1. div), headquartered at Skövde Garrison (Västra Götaland), which was reestablished in 2022.

In addition, Sweden is forming four brigades in accordance with a previous defense decision. The plan is to gradually bring them to full operational readiness between 2026 and 2030.

Separate from the regular army is the Hemvärnet—a territorial force of about 22,000 service members organized into 40 battalions. It serves as the national guard and is responsible for territorial defense.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that a multinational combat group of NATO’s Forward Land Forces had been established in Finland to deter Russia. Sweden took the lead in these forces by providing a battalion-sized combat group, which became the core of the unit.