| Bror Stefenson | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Bror Per Harald Stefenson |
| Born | 4 September 1929 |
| Place of birth | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Allegiance | Sweden |
| Service/branch | Swedish Navy |
| Years of service | 1951–1991 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held |
HSwMS Draken 1st Submarine Flotilla Coastal Fleet Defence Staff Swedish National Defence College Eastern Military Area Commandant General in Stockholm |
| Battles/wars | Hårsfjärden incident |
| Other work | Chief of His Majesty's Military Staff |
Bror Per Harald Stefenson (born 4 September 1929) was a Swedish Navy admiral. Stefenson's senior commands include chief of the Defence Staff and military commander of the Eastern Military Area (Milo Ö).
Career[]
Military career[]
Stefenson was born in Stockholm, the son of naval captain Jens Stefenson and his wife Astrid (née Grönberg). He passed studentexamen at Norra Real in Stockholm in 1948. In 1951 he became an officer with the rank of acting sub-lieutenant (fänrik) and was promoted two years later to sub-lieutenant (löjtnant) before attending the Royal Swedish Naval Academy from 1954 to 1959.[1] Stefenson was the captain of the submarine HSwMS Draken in 1962 and in 1963,[2] and was also promoted to lieutenant (kapten) in 1963. He attended the Swedish Armed Forces Staff College in 1964 and was promoted to commander of the 2nd class (kommendörkapten 2:a graden) in 1967 and of the 1st class in 1970.[1] He was promoted to captain (kommendör) in 1976 and was commanding officer of the 1st Submarine Flotilla from 1976 to 1978.[3]
He was promoted to rear admiral in 1978 was chief of staff of the Southern Military Area (Milo Syd) from 1978 to 1979 and commanding officer of the Coastal Fleet from 1980 to 1982 when he was promoted to vice admiral and appointed chief of the Defence Staff in 1982.[1][4] He was at the same time the head of the Joint Operations (Operationsledningen) in the Defence Staff.[5] Also in 1982, Stefenson was elected board member, by the Swedish government, of the East Economic Office (Öst Ekonomiska Byrån),[6] an agency which occupied a special position among the agencies engaged in the Swedish military intelligence.[7] Stefenson took office as Chief of the Defence Staff on 1 October 1982, the same day the so-called Hårsfjärden incident occurred[8] when a foreign submarine was trapped by the Swedish Navy and a reported 44 depth charges and 4 naval mines where detonated, trying to sink the submarine, but it was later determined that it avoided the trap or fled at an early stage. Stefenson would later write Från periskop och brygga ("From periscope and bridge") with diary notes and memories from the submarine hunt 1–10 October 1982.[8] Stefenson has been criticized for hiding the truth behind the incident.[9][10]
He left the posts in the Defense Staff in 1987 and became head of the Swedish National Defence College. A year later he was appointed military commander of the Eastern Military Area (Milo Ö) and at the same time to the post of Commandant General in Stockholm which he was until 1991 when he was promoted to the admiral and retired from active service.[1]
Later career[]
Stefenson var chief of His Majesty's Military Staff from 1990 to 1997 and during the years 1991-1994 was he also a project leader for Projekt Krishantering ("Project Crisis Management").[1] He was a special investigator regarding civilian use of defense resources from 1994 to 1995.[11]
Stefenson was elected into the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences in 1968 with number 908[12] and was its president from 1987 to 1992.[13] He was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences since 1979. He has been Inspector Emeriti of the naval academy association SjöLund.[14] Stefenson is a politician in the Christian Democrats and was chairman of the Christian Democratic Senior League from 2002 to 2007.[15] He is also a honorary member of the Christian Democratic Senior League.[16] Stefenson was chairman of the Hovförsamlingen ("Parish of the Royal Court") for 15 years.[8]
Personal life[]
In 1953, Stefenson married the parish assistant Karin Östberg (born 1932),[1] the daughter of consul Gustaf Östberg and Margit von Stedingk.[11]
Dates of rank[]
- 1951 – Acting Sub-Lieutenant (Fänrik)
- 1953 – Sub-Lieutenant (Löjtnant)
- 1963 – Lieutenant (Kapten)
- 1967 – Commander 2nd Class (Kommendörkapten 2:a graden)
- 1970 – Commander 1st Class (Kommendörkapten 1:a graden)
- 1976 – Captain (Kommendör)
- 1978 – Rear admiral
- 1982 – Vice admiral
- 1982 – Admiral
Bibliography[]
- Stefenson, Bror, ed (1992) (in sv). U 137-krisen. Stockholm: Kungl. Krigsvetenskapsakad. 1593762.
- Stefenson, Bror, ed (1993) (in sv). Kan vi bli bättre?. Stockholm: Kungl. Krigsvetenskapsakad.. 1692293.
- (in sv) När krisen kommer: slutredovisning från Projekt Krishantering. Stockholm: Kungl. Krigsvetenskapsakad.. 1994. 8225438.
- Stefenson, Bror (2007) (in sv). Från periskop och brygga: ubåtsman och amiral under kalla kriget minnesbilder från tiden 1948-1991. Stockholm: Magnus Ullman. ISBN 978-91-633-1527-5. 10618465.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Kjellander, Rune (2007) (in Swedish). Svenska marinens högre chefer 1700-2005: chefsbiografier och befattningsöversikter samt Kungl Örlogsmannasällskapets ämbetsmän och ledamöter 1771-2005. Stockholm: Probus. p. 154. ISBN 978-91-87184-83-3. 10452099.
- ↑ Klintebo, Roderick, ed (2004) (in Swedish). Det svenska ubåtsvapnet 1904-2004. Forum navales skriftserie, 1650-1837 ; 9. Stockholm: Literatim. p. 305. ISBN 91-973075-3-X. 9421249.
- ↑ Klintebo, Roderick, ed (2004) (in Swedish). Det svenska ubåtsvapnet 1904-2004. Forum navales skriftserie, 1650-1837 ; 9. Stockholm: Literatim. p. 309. ISBN 91-973075-3-X. 9421249.
- ↑ Bynander, Fredrik, ed (2002) (in Swedish). Ubåtsfrågan - ett symposium. A publication of the crisis management Europe research program, 1650-3856 ; 21. Stockholm: Försvarshögsk.. p. 16. ISBN 91-89683-07-2. 8791351. http://www.crismart.org/upload/PDF%20volumes/VOLYM_21.PDF.
- ↑ Spiegelberg, Christina, ed (1984) (in Swedish). Sveriges statskalender. 1984. Stockholm: Liber. p. 102. ISBN 91-38-90400-4. 3682782. http://runeberg.org/statskal/1984/0106.html.
- ↑ Spiegelberg, Christina, ed (1984) (in Swedish). Sveriges statskalender. 1984. Stockholm: Liber. p. 377. ISBN 91-38-90400-4. 3682782. http://runeberg.org/statskal/1984/0379.html.
- ↑ Geijer, Lennart (1975-01-03). "Regeringens skrivelse nr 4 år 1975 : Skr 1975:4" (in Swedish). Ministry of Justice. http://data.riksdagen.se/dokument/FY034/html.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Hultman, Barbro (28 November 2017). "Nyfiken på Bror Stefenson, ubåtsamiralen" (in Swedish). Nyfikengrå. http://www.nyfikengra.se/nyfiken-pa-bror-stefenson-ubatsamiralen/.
- ↑ Hansson, Lars (4 December 2007). "De döljer sanningen om ubåtsjakten" (in Swedish). https://www.expressen.se/debatt/de-doljer-sanningen-om-ubatsjakten/.
- ↑ Tunander, Ola (2009). "Från "säker" kränkning till "fantasifull" observatör. Replik till Bror Stefenson och Göran Wallen" (in sv). Stockholm: Sjöhistoriska samfundet. pp. 85ff. 3615255. https://sjohistoriskasamfundet.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/fn66_a07.pdf.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Salander Mortensen, Jill, ed (1996) (in Swedish). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1997. Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 1041. ISBN 91-1-960852-7. 3681533. http://runeberg.org/vemardet/1997/1041.html.
- ↑ Kjellander, Rune (2007) (in Swedish). Svenska marinens högre chefer 1700-2005: chefsbiografier och befattningsöversikter samt Kungl Örlogsmannasällskapets ämbetsmän och ledamöter 1771-2005. Stockholm: Probus. p. 261. ISBN 978-91-87184-83-3. 10452099.
- ↑ Kjellander, Rune (2007) (in Swedish). Svenska marinens högre chefer 1700-2005: chefsbiografier och befattningsöversikter samt Kungl Örlogsmannasällskapets ämbetsmän och ledamöter 1771-2005. Stockholm: Probus. p. 224. ISBN 978-91-87184-83-3. 10452099.
- ↑ "Inspector Emeriti" (in Swedish). SjöLund. 2016. https://sjolund1964.wixsite.com/sjolund1964/inspector-emeriti.
- ↑ "Seniorförbundet" (in Swedish). Christian Democratic Senior League. http://kdsenior.se/om-seniorforbundet/.
- ↑ "Ett 60-tal glada KD Seniorer samlades i Stockholm för Seniorting 2013 och till att fira förbundets 20-årsjubileum" (in Swedish). Christian Democratic Senior League. 26 April 2013. http://kdsenior.se/ett-60-tal-glada-kd-seniorer-samlades-i-stockholm-for-seniorting-2013-och-till-att-fira-forbundets-20-arsjubileum/.
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