Sweden’s Home Guard to deploy volunteers to Kiruna amid personnel shortages

Within six hours of an alert, Sweden’s Home Guard is expected to begin protecting and monitoring various critical facilities and operations. The speed and local knowledge of this volunteer force play a crucial role in the country’s defense. However, despite a surge in applications, interest is not evenly distributed across the nation, as requests predominantly come from urban regions like Stockholm, Mälardalen, Gothenburg, and Malmö, according to Laura Swaan Wrede, the national commander.

Due to personnel shortages, especially in northern Sweden, the Home Guard is testing a new initiative named “Operation Mälardalen.” A group of Home Guard soldiers from the Mälardalen region has voluntarily been deployed to Kiruna. The military has experience in relocating soldiers across the country, although this is a new approach for the Home Guard.

While this operation aims to address local shortages, Swaan Wrede acknowledged the potential loss of significant advantages, such as local knowledge and community ties, which could affect readiness times. If this initiative becomes permanent, it could fundamentally change the mission of certain Home Guard units, shifting the focus from local defense to broader geographic responsibilities. However, she reassured that only specific areas would be affected and not the entire Home Guard.

The foundation of the Home Guard is based on geographic proximity, strong local knowledge, and constant readiness, following the 6-24-90 principle. This principle mandates that units should be able to commence their tasks within six hours, achieve full operational capability within 24 hours, and sustain their efforts for 90 days. All Swedish citizens can apply to join the Home Guard, with varying requirements based on the position. Short military training is available for those without compulsory military education.