Torsten Engberg

Lieutenant General Torsten Reinhold Engberg (28 May 1934 – 7 February 2018) was a senior Swedish Coastal Artillery officer. Engberg was Chief of the Naval Staff from 1984 to 1987 and Chief of the Defence Staff from 1987 to 1991 as well as military commander of the Middle Military District (Milo M) from 1991 to 1994. He also served as the first director general of the Swedish Fortifications Agency from 1994 to 1999.

Torsten Engberg
Birth name	Torsten Reinhold Engberg
Born	28 May 1934 Norrfjärden, Sweden
Died	7 February 2018 (aged 83) Simrishamn, Sweden
Allegiance	Sweden
Service/branch	Coastal Artillery (Swedish Navy)
Years of service	1959–1994
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	Chief of Staff, Western Military District Chief of the Naval Staff Chief of the Defence Staff Middle Military District Commandant General in Stockholm
Other work	DG of Swedish Fortifications Agency

Career

Engberg was born on 28 May 1934 in Norrfjärden Parish, Norrbotten County, Sweden,[1] the son of Amandus Engberg and his wife Märta (née Johansson).[2] He passed studentexamen in 1957 and became fänrik in the Vaxholm Coastal Artillery Regiment (KA 1) in 1959.[3] Engberg served in the Naval Staff from 1964 to 1965 and attended the Swedish Armed Forces Staff College from 1966 to 1968.[3] He served in the Defence Staff in 1968 and the year after he served in the staff of the Eastern Military District (Milo Ö). In 1971, Engberg was promoted to major and served in the Defence Staff and the year after he was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He then served as commanding officer of the Coastal Ranger School in Vaxholm from 1974 to 1976.[3] He was deputy section chief in the Defence Staff from 1976 to 1980 and in 1979 he underwent a course for senior unit commanders in the planning and implementation of amphibious operations at the Naval Amphibious School in United States.[3][4]

Engberg was promoted to colonel and appointed commanding officer of the Gotland Coastal Artillery Defense (KA 3) in 1980. He was promoted to colonel 1st rank in 1982 and was appointed Chief of Staff of the Western Military District (Milo V) in Skövde.[3][2] In 1984, Engberg attended the Naval Postgraduate School in the United States[3] and back in Sweden he was appointed Chief of the Naval Staff the same year. He then served as Chief of the Defence Staff from 1987 to 1991 and military commander of the Middle Military District (Milo M) from 1991 to 1994[2] as well as the Commandant General in Stockholm. Engberg then served as the first director general of the Swedish Fortifications Agency from 1 July 1994 to 1999.[5][6]

Personal life

In 1962, Engberg married Gun Zander (born 1941), the daughter of Hjalmar Zander and Elizabeth (née Persson).[2] Engberg died on 7 February 2018 in Simrishamn.[3]

Dates of rank

• 1959 – Fänrik
• 19?? – Lieutenant
• 19?? – Captain
• 1971 – Major
• 1972 – Lieutenant Colonel
• 1980 – Colonel
• 1982 – Colonel 1st Rank
• 1984 – Major General
• 1987 – Lieutenant General

Honours

• Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences[2]
• Member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences[2]

References

1. Sveriges befolkning 1980 (in Swedish). Stockholm: Sveriges släktforskarförb. 2004. ISBN 91-87676-37-0. SELIBR 9632925.
2. Salander Mortensen, Jill, ed. (1996). Vem är det: svensk biografisk handbok. 1997 [Who is it: Swedish biographical handbook. 1997] (in Swedish). Stockholm: Norstedt. p. 293. ISBN 91-1-960852-7. SELIBR 3681533.
3. Olsson, Kjell. "Torsten Reinhold Engberg". www.tjelvar.se (in Swedish). Gotlands försvarshistoria och Gotlands trupper. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
4. Engberg, Torsten (1982). "Teorier i krass verklighet" (PDF). Tidskrift i sjöväsendet (in Swedish). Carlskrona: Tidskrift i sjöväsendet (1): 49. SELIBR 8258455.
5. "Viktiga händelser under tio år" (PDF) (in Swedish). Swedish Fortifications Agency. 2004. p. 5. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
6. "Sammanställning över utnämningar och nya befattningar" (PDF). Flygvapennytt (in Swedish). Stockholm: Flygstaben (1): 34. 1994. SELIBR 8257600.