The Swedish Defence Conscription and Assessment Agency (Plikt- och prövningsverket) has opened a new assessment office in Umeå (northern Sweden). The establishment increases the agency's capacity from around 53,000 to 63,000 enlistment assessments and examinations per year and is part of efforts to meet a growing personnel requirement within the total defence system.
The new office was inaugurated on 2 September by Minister for Defence Pål Jonson and the Director-General of the Swedish Defence Conscription and Assessment Agency, Peter Göthe, the agency writes in a press release. The office will primarily receive young people from Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Jämtland, Västernorrland and Gävleborg (regions in northern Sweden).
"The new office in Umeå will, over time, increase the agency's capacity by around 10,000 examinations and enlistment assessments annually. This is an important addition ahead of coming years, when both the military and civil defence are set to grow," says Peter Göthe in the press release.
In a post on X, Pål Jonson writes that nearly 10,000 conscripts are to be selected for 2027/28 and that around 12,000 should be trained annually during 2032 to 2035. According to Jonson, this strengthens the conditions for increasing the wartime organisation from 88,000 personnel in 2025 to around 130,000 by 2035.
From next year, the office in Umeå will also carry out assessments for, among others, applicants to the police training programme and the officer training programme at the Swedish Defence University (Försvarshögskolan). The Swedish Defence Conscription and Assessment Agency also conducts tests on behalf of other agencies within the total defence system.