Sven-Åke Jansson

Jansson was commissioned as an officer in 1961 after graduating from the Swedish Armed Forces School for Secondary Education in Uppsala.^[1] He was then assigned to the North Scanian Infantry Regiment (I 6) in Kristianstad.^[2] As a second lieutenant, Jansson was ordered in June 1962 to Scanian Armoured Regiment (P 2) to serve in its 1st Company. By company commander Captain Folke Sonesson, Jansson received a thorough education on the Centurion tank. Jansson was then entrusted to command the company during the spring exercises in 1963. Just over a year later, Jansson was commander of the 15th Tank Company in Kristianstad Brigade (Kristianstadsbrigaden, PB 26). As a young lieutenant, he made one of the many exciting efforts that contributed to the North Scanian Regiment (P 6) being able to raise a functioning armored brigade in the surprisingly short time of two years.^[3] After graduating from the Swedish Armed Forces Staff College in Stockholm, he became a General Staff Corps officer and served, among other things, in the Defence Staff in Stockholm.^[2] He was promoted to captain in 1969,^[4] to major in 1972^[5] and to lieutenant colonel in 1977.^[6] During this time, Jansson also served as Swedish battalion commander in Cyprus, part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).^[2]

In 1980, Jansson was appointed commander of Norrbotten Armoured Battalion in Boden.^[7] He then served as head of Section 2 in the Upper Norrland Military District (Milo ÖN) in Boden from 1981 to 1983.^[8] Jansson was promoted to colonel in 1983 and served as section chief in the Operations Command of the Upper Norrland Military District (Milo ÖN) from 1983 to 1984.^[9] Jansson was then commander of Norrbotten Regiment with Norrbotten Armoured Battalion (I 19/P 5) from 1984 to 1986.^[10] Jansson was promoted to senior colonel in 1986 and moved from Boden to Ystad after being appointed commander of the South Scanian Regiment and Malmö Defence District (P 7/Fo 11), serving until 1988.^[11] He was promoted to major general in 1988 and was Commanding General of the Gotland Military Command in Visby from 1 April 1988 to 30 June 1994.^[12] Jansson was promoted to lieutenant general and appointed Commanding General of the Southern Military District (Milo S) in Kristianstad on 1 July 1994,^[13] serving until 1 July 1998 when he was succeeded by lieutenant general Kent Harrskog.^[14] During his tenure as commander of Milo S, Scanian Anti-Aircraft Corps in Ystad was disbanded and the South Scanian Regiment moved from Ystad to Revingehed outside Lund.^[15]

As a newly retired, he worked as a consultant and also as an adviser to the newly formed Lithuanian Armed Forces.^[2]

On 3 July 1965, Jansson married Anges Anita (born 1942). They had three children: Hans Kristian (born 1966), Agnes Helena (born 1970) and Anna Kristina (born 1971).^[16]

In 1997, he and his wife Anita bought the rectory in Färlöv in Scania.^[2]

Jansson died on 10 September 2014 in Färlöv, Sweden. He was interred on 14 November 2014 at the Eastern cemetery in Kristianstad.^[17]

• 1961 – Second lieutenant
• 19?? – Lieutenant
• 1969 – Captain
• 1972 – Major
• 1977 – Lieutenant colonel
• 1983 – Colonel
• 1986 – Senior colonel
• 1988 – Major general
• 1994 – Lieutenant general

• Grand Officer of the Order of Prince Henry (15 May 1991)^[18]