On March 14-15 the Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Force (NDVF) was visited by Chief of the National Home Guard (Hemvärnet) of Sweden Maj Gen Laura Swaan Wrede.
NDVF leadership familiarized the guests with the NDVF organization structure, tasks and capabilities, challenges of the recent year and reviewed for the NDVF history. Hemvärnet Chief paid a visit to the 804th Company, 8th Territorial Unit, Great Battle Military District, NDVF, in Trakai.
Maj Gen Laura Swaan Wrede was appointed as Chief of Sweden’s’ National Home Guard last year and she is the first female regimental commander in the Swedish Army. She joined the Swedish armed Forces in 1987, spent her early years of service in air defence units, completed multiple international deployments. .
The National Defence Volunteer Force and the Swedish National Home Guard has been developing cooperation for nearly three decades under the agreement signed in 1995 by both sides at the headquarters of what then was the Voluntary National Defence Service. Over the years of bilateral cooperation, our troops were deployed to Sweden’s military schools, learned elements of Swedish tactics, engineering, shooting and communications.
Sweden is famous for its territorial defence concept and readiness. It was studied by officers of the National Defence Volunteer Force in the beginning of cooperation at the Battalion Command Course of Sweden’s Home Guard Combat School. In 2001 company commanders of the National Defence Volunteer Force began honing company commander leadership skills at the Home Guard Combat School.
The Swedish Women's Voluntary Defence Organization Lottorna used to organize courses on management, first medical aid, survival to women servicemembers of the National Defence Volunteer Force. Sweden’s young volunteer organization kept contacts with the Lithuanian Riflemen Union via the National Defence Volunteer Force headquarters.
In the end of past century National Defence Volunteer Force members could pass a special selection to qualify for training at Sweden’s combat military schools, several dozens of them gained qualifications of infantry or engineer platoon commanders and are still in service in the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
The direct communication and cooperation with the National Home Guard of Sweden enabled a large number of Lithuanian volunteers to become familiar with the volunteer training system in a foreign country, a sister structure to theirs, an compare and evaluate their own. Aside from the cooperation in combat readiness ties were developed in sports and culture. Sweden used to take part in the National Defence Volunteer Force games, other events, delegation exchange would be conducted. In 2000 the National Defence Volunteer Force were given the recoilless 1110 (M60) Swedish 90 mm anti-tank guns which served the force successfully for nearly two decades.
The National Home Guard of Sweden is manned by approx. 22 thousand volunteers and 800 career military.
Information credits: NDVF
Photo credits: Cpl Michail Lysenko
