General Lieutenant Michael Claesson will become the new Commander-in-Chief, announced the government. He will succeed Micael Bydén.
Claesson, who is 59 years old, is the head of the Defense Staff and the commander of the headquarters since January 1, 2023. He will take office as Commander-in-Chief on October 1.
Claesson has worked within the Swedish Armed Forces for 40 years. He started as a conscript in the Norrbotten Armored Battalion in Boden.
Last week, he received a call from the government asking if he wanted to become the new Commander-in-Chief. After a brief consideration, he accepted.
The government describes the security situation in Sweden as the most serious since World War II. When asked what the greatest military threat is, Claesson responds:
Regarding the future of the Defense Forces, Claesson emphasizes that it is important to "keep course", grow the number of soldiers, and increase the pace of delivering military operational capability.
At the same time, he highlights that Sweden's security has dramatically increased since NATO's entry on March 7 this year.
He does not want to comment on the former Commander-in-Chief Sverker Göranson's statement that Sweden can only defend itself for a week, but says that the defense capability today is "significantly better".
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) said at the press conference that there is broad political support for Michael Claesson as the new Commander-in-Chief. This is also confirmed by Peter Hultqvist (S), chairman of the Defense Committee.
Claesson was born in Bankeryd. He was promoted to brigadier general in 2013 and to lieutenant general in 2020. He has also served in Sweden's delegation to NATO in Brussels and as commander of the ISAF contingent in Afghanistan.
It can also be mentioned that Claesson enjoys playing the electric guitar in the band "Blöffes pågar".
