– We see that it is necessary to strengthen recruitment to the Home Guard in the long term. At the same time, we hope that more development opportunities will also encourage more people to stay longer in the Home Guard, says Brigadier General Mattias Ardin, Deputy Chief of the National Home Guard, in an article on the Swedish Armed Forces' website.
During the training, participants learn military basics such as field and combat service, medical care, weapons handling, and the laws of war. The goal is for participants to be able to take on a position within the Home Guard's wartime units. Participants from Norrland, where the need for soldiers is great, will be prioritized, according to the Swedish Armed Forces' article.
– There has been a high demand for the Home Guard in recent years. But it is unevenly distributed across the country. In areas where the demographic base is not so large, more applicants are needed, especially with military training. Therefore, we believe that voluntary military training can be one of several steps in the growth journey, continues Mattias Ardin.
The training aims to cover the recruitment gap that arose during the period without general conscription. It will also be evaluated after implementation to determine if the concept should be expanded and conducted in more locations in Sweden.