Today, the Swedish Armed Forces are conducting a change of command ceremony at Karlberg Palace where Micael Bydén formally hands over command to Sweden's new Supreme Commander, Michael Claesson. During the ceremony, the outgoing Supreme Commander delivered a speech before the command insignia was handed over, and Claesson gave his first speech as the new Supreme Commander, the Swedish Armed Forces stated in a press release.

At a press conference in July with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Minister of Defense Pål Jonson, it was announced that Lieutenant General Michael Claesson had been appointed as the new Supreme Commander.

"This is a trust I am very proud of and will manage with the utmost respect and determination," said Michael Claesson during the press conference.

Claesson has had a long and diverse career within the Swedish Armed Forces, most recently as the head of the then-new Defense Staff. The role of new Defense Staff Chief is taken over by Lieutenant General Carl-Johan Edström.

The new Supreme Commander has, among other positions, been the commander of the Norrbotten Armored Battalion and the Land Warfare School, as well as serving as a military advisor at the Ministry of Defense and Sweden's NATO delegation in Brussels.

During 2012-2013, he led the Swedish contingent in the ISAF force in Afghanistan and served as the tactical commander of the multinational force Task Force Northern Lights.