Voluntary Defence Organisations

Sweden's 19 voluntary defence organisations contribute to the country's civil and military defence. These organisations recruit and train citizens on a volunteer basis for defence duties and contribute to Sweden's readiness in various areas in society.

These voluntary organisations are an important resource for the Armed Forces. They provide trained personnel with war posting contracts within the Swedish Armed Forces. Course and training activities ensure personnel with war posting contracts maintain and enhance their skills and know-how.

These voluntary defence organisations are independent associations that have been formed on the initiative of citizens. They are not-for-profit and independent of each other and of the Armed Forces they work with.

In the beginning of the 1860s in the last century the idea of raising volunteer-forces in Sweden was born. Local volunteer-corps were formed and the interest for the new movement was so great, that in the year of 1864 no less than 40,000 volunteers had come forward. However, the new organization was badly managed from the beginning. The pretentious were too great, as one expected to be able to use them as a kind of reserve of volunteer-troops. The enthusiasm soon vanished and the movement gradually died away. In 1878 the system was altered and the Government decided to aid financially only such voluntary service as had in view a better and more widespread rifle practice. Nevertheless the movement lacked a sound organization and direction, and the interest for it was altogether failing.

But about 1892 a change for the better took place and more energy was displayed. The whole system was reorganized in 1893 and after this the nation showed its interest and goodwill in joining in the movement. The principal outlines of the new organization were as follows: In towns, villages, and parishes, where interest for voluntary local defense prevails, rifle-clubs were formed and an administrative committee was chosen by the members themselves. According to local circumstances subdivisions of the clubs may be formed. Several clubs, may form a rifle-association which has a special direction, whose members were the presidents of the foresaid committees. The Government appointed special officers who had to supervise that the work is carried on in a satisfactory manner.

The organization in general was under the superintendence of a Central Board consisting of a general director and 24 members, elected by delegates from the rifle-associations, besides several officers, appointed by the Government. The Central Board elected an executive sub-committee, in which the above mentioned officers were to be members. The delegates of the rifle-associations held at least one annual meeting. At this meeting, in which the members of the Central Board partook, all questions concerning the work of the associations and rifle-clubs were discussed, likewise all questions that were to be decided by the Government. Every year a program for the voluntary riflepractice in accord with the regulations for the army was issued by the Government.

Since the reorganization of the rifle-associations, the enthusiasm for the movement has increased among all classes. The 31st of December 1901 there existed in the country 1,334 rifle-clubs with 91,377 members, of whom 85 % were liable to conscription service; for practising there were at the same time 1,700 rifle-ranges. In 1894 there were 1,500,000 rounds of ammunition fired at the rifle-clnb-ranges, and in the year 1901 about 6,220,000 rounds.