| Native name | överste |
|---|---|
| Country | Sweden |
| Service branch | Army Air Force Navy (Amphibious Corps) |
| Abbreviation | Öv (Swedish),[1] Col (English)[2] |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Nato rank | OF-5 |
| Non-nato rank | O-6 |
| Higher rank | Brigadier general (2000–) Senior colonel (1972–2000) Major general (–1972) |
| Lower rank | Lieutenant colonel |
| Equivalents | Captain |
Colonel (Col) (Swedish: överste, öv) is the most senior field grade military officer rank in the Swedish Army and the Swedish Air Force, immediately above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general. It is equivalent to the naval rank of captain in the Swedish Navy.[3]
History
Överste ("Colonel") is the name for the highest regimental officer rank. The name, sometimes in the connection with häröverste ("army colonel") and also generalöverste ("colonel general"), is as old as a standing army, that is, from the end of the Middle Ages. During the 16th and 17th centuries, a famous soldier was commissioned to recruit a regiment and was then appointed colonel at the head of it. The regiment was thus the colonel's belonging; he appointed, among other things, its officers. To the extent that the recruitment was immediately taken over by the state, the colonels began to be appointed by the king as well as the other officers. Even today, the colonel is usually the regimental commander.[4]
The rank of colonel was between the rank of lieutenant colonel and major general until 1972 when senior colonel rank was introduced. Thereafter, colonel was between lieutenant colonel and senior colonel from 1972 to 2000 when the brigadier general rank was introduced. Since 2000, the rank of colonel is between the lieutenant colonel and the brigadier general and the senior colonel (for those who still hold the rank, no new appointments are made) is between colonel and the brigadier general.[3]
References
Notes
- ^ "Försvarsmaktens föreskrifter om personaltjänst (FFS 2019:6)" (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. 2019-12-02. p. 3. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- ^ "Försvarsmaktens gemensamma identitet – direktiv för användandet av Försvarsmaktens namn, profil och bild" (in Swedish). 1.3. Swedish Armed Forces. 2013-09-16. p. 66. Archived 1 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
- ^ "Förordning om ändring i officersförordningen (1994:882)" (in Swedish). Swedish Code of Statutes. 26 June 2000. p. 2. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
- ^ Westrin 1922, p. 42
- Palmgren, Johan (2016). "Utveckling och urval av officerare under det kalla kriget" (in Swedish). Kungl. Krigsvetenskapsakademiens handlingar och tidskrift. ' (3). Stockholm: Kungl. Krigsvetenskapsakademien.
- Westrin, Theodor (ed.) (1922). Nordisk familjebok: konversationslexikon och realencyklopedi (in Swedish). Vol. 34. New, rev. and rich ill. ed. Stockholm: Nordisk familjeboks förl.
- Reglemente: uniformsbestämmelser 2015 : Unibest FM 2015 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Försvarsmakten. 2015.
- Uniformsreglemente för Försvarsmakten: UniR FM (in Swedish). 2003 ed. Stockholm: Försvarsmakten. 2003.