Gotland Battlegroup
| Gotland Battlegroup | |
|---|---|
| Stridsgrupp Gotland | |
 | |
| Active | 2017–present |
| Country |  Sweden |
| Branch |  Swedish Army |
| Size | Brigade |
| Part of | Gotland Regiment (peacetime) Army Staff (wartime) |
| Headquarters | Visby Garrison, Gotland |
| Beret colour | Black |
| Commanders | |
| Commander | Col Dan Rasmussen |
The Gotland Battlegroup (Swedish: Stridsgrupp Gotland) or the 18th Battlegroup is a reduced Swedish Army mechanized brigade based in Gotland County. It has been active since 2017. The battlegroup is headquartered at Visby Garrison.
History
Policies introduced under the Defence Act of 2015 mandated the remilitarisation of Gotland by 2018.[1] However, in direct response to Russian aggression and the deteriorating geopolitical situation in the Baltic Sea, the battlegroup was established in 2017, one year earlier than planned.[2]
The decision to remilitarise the island and establish a unit comparable to a reduced brigade[3] was primarily intended to deter potential small-scale attacks and to delay larger assaults long enough for reinforcements and additional units to arrive.[4]
Given the battlegroup’s specialised role, it is not intended for deployment outside the island and will maintain a permanent presence to deter any attempts at occupation.[5]
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Organisation
As of 2022, the planned wartime organisation of Battlegroup Gotland at full operational capacity is as follows, with full capability expected to be reached by 2028:[6]
- 18th Battlegroup
- 18th Battlegroup Staff
- 18th Headquarters Company
- 18th Air Defence Unit
- 181st Mechanised Battalion
- 18th Engineer Company
- 18th Artillery Company
- 18th Support Company
- 18th Battlegroup Staff
Commanders
The commanders of the brigade throughout its history are as follows:
- 2017–????: Col Stefan Pettersson
- ????–present: Col Dan Rasmussen
Attributes
| Name | Translation | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stridsgrupp Gotland | Gotland Battlegroup | 2017-07-01 | – | |
| Designation | From | To | ||
| SG GTL | 2017-07-01 | – | ||
| Location | From | To | ||
| Visby Garrison | 2017-07-01 | – |
See also
Notes
Notes
References
- Widegren, Patrik (2017-11-17). "Stridsgrupp Gotland officiellt invigd" (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
- Gummesson, Jonas (2017-07-01). "Stridsgrupp Gotland tillbaka – med stora luckor". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 2025-07-01.
- Freeman, Suzanne (2021-09-30). "Are Current Russian Expeditionary Capabilities Capable of a Coup de Main in Sweden?". Center for Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
- Carr, David; Moldvik, Jesper (2022-12-08). "Lyckat startskott för ett robustare Gotland" (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
- Försvarsmakten (2022). "Planerad utveckling av krigsorganisationen 2021-2030" [Planned development of the war organization 2021-2030] (PDF). forsvarsmakten.se (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-03-10. Retrieved 2025-03-27.
- Försvarsmakten (2025-05-09). "Gotlands regemente". forsvarsmakten.se (in Swedish). Swedish Armed Forces. Retrieved 2025-07-03.