The National Home Guard Assembly 2025 in Sundsvall (Sweden) gathered over 160 delegates from across the country to address motions, decisions, and future issues. The theme was growth, professionalisation, and international cooperation.

The article is based on excerpts from the National Home Guard Assembly 2025, which was broadcast live via the Home Guard Magazine's YouTube channel.

Links to the broadcasts are available at the end of the article.

During Friday's negotiations, the National Home Guard Chief emphasised the importance of growth and clarified that the Home Guard today is part of the core structure of Sweden's defence capability, not a support function.

– We are united not by duty, but by will – the will to stand up, to contribute, and to take responsibility when it really matters, said the National Home Guard Chief in her opening address at the assembly.

Decisions were made for the Home Guard to grow by several thousand soldiers in the coming years. The five-week long basic training FMUN (Voluntary Military Basic Training without Conscription) will be made permanent in all military regions following trials in Härnösand (Sweden). The programme was highlighted as an additional pathway into the Home Guard for civilians willing to serve.

The address also outlined expanded international cooperation through the Scandia and Scanbal networks, as well as a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Baltic countries for course and exercise exchanges. Swedish Home Guard units also participated in a winter exercise in Greenland together with Denmark and Norway, the first of its kind.

The National Home Guard Chief highlighted Sweden's contribution to the training of Ukrainian soldiers within Operation Interflex as an international breakthrough for the Home Guard:

– Our pedagogy and leadership have been highlighted as a model, she said during the address.

Leadership, culture, and internal development were emphasised as crucial for the future. The National Home Guard Chief called for an open climate and stressed the importance of trust within the units:

– We should not need to protect ourselves from our comrades – we should strengthen each other.

Saturday was marked by addresses from the highest leadership of the Swedish Armed Forces and politics.

The Supreme Commander emphasised honour, courage, and openness in leadership and described the work of the Home Guard as central to national capability:

– It takes courage to fight, but even greater courage to be honest, said the Supreme Commander in his speech.

Defence Minister Pål Jonson sent a video message thanking the Home Guard for their efforts in Operation Interflex and emphasised the importance of voluntarism in Europe's collective security framework.

The Chairman of the Defence Committee, Peter Hultqvist, outlined a deteriorating security situation, cyberattacks, and sabotage against critical infrastructure. He stressed the importance of regional coordination within NATO and called the Nordics, the Baltics, and Poland "an operational whole" where Sweden will play a central role in logistics and transport in the event of war.

A total of 248 motions were addressed, with decisions including:


  • continued review of compensation levels and personnel conditions,
  • clarification of rehabilitation responsibility for injuries during service,
  • approval of several motions on personal equipment and training materiel,
  • support for further development of simulator and drone systems.

The assembly concluded with a medal ceremony where the Home Guard's Royal Merit Medal was awarded to several officers and elected representatives.

– What you do in the Home Guard not only strengthens our defence – it strengthens Sweden, said the Supreme Commander during the presentation.