The Swedish Armed Forces state on their website that Sweden will have a new National Military Representative at SHAPE in Mons, Belgium. Brigadier General Anders Svensson, currently Deputy Chief of the Army, will assume the position in August.

– It will be incredibly interesting, especially as we have now been allies for three months, says Anders Svensson in the article on the Swedish Armed Forces' website.

SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) is NATO's military headquarters, located in the village of Casteau outside Mons. Here, Anders Svensson will work for at least the next two years as Sweden's and the Swedish Armed Forces' representative.

– Primarily, one can say that I will be the bridge between SHAPE and the Defence Staff within the operational activities. It feels fantastic to be able to do this during my career, even though I have really enjoyed being Deputy Chief of the Army. The Army, which I am now leaving, is undergoing and facing enormous growth, and as an army soldier at heart, it will be exciting to follow it from the sidelines, says Anders Svensson.

He succeeds Colonel Anders Byrén and now becomes the first Swedish flag officer in the role of National Military Representative, but he emphasizes that it does not stop with him.

– It is now that we will begin staffing both military and civilian positions at SHAPE but also at other NATO headquarters such as the various Joint Forces Commands as well as at LANDCOM, AIRCOM, and MARCOM. It will be a transition for us as allies and as employees of the Swedish Armed Forces, says Anders Svensson in the article.