Life Guards (Swedish Army)

Life Guards (Swedish Army)

The Life Guards (Swedish: Livgardet) is a combined cavalry/infantry regiment of the Swedish Army, with responsibility for training. The infantry battalion (called the Guards Battalion) trains ordinary infantry soldiers in both the mechanized and rifle roles, as well as training clerical soldiers. The Guards Battalion consists of three companies, The Life Company, the 6th company and the 8th company. They are light mechanized companies trained for urban combat with the defense of Stockholm as its first and foremost wartime duty. The cavalry battalion (called the Dragoons Battalion) has responsibility for training military police, counter-sabotage units, depot soldiers and guards. The Dragoons Battalion's 4th Squadron is the only mounted cavalry unit in the Swedish Armed Forces. The soldiers of the Life Guards are also frequently used for ceremonial duties like the Royal Guard at the Stockholm Palace, state occasions like openings of the Parliament and as a guard of honour on the occasion of royal audiences and visits.

The Life Guards as it exists today has been part of the Swedish Army since 2000, when the functions of three separate units, the Svea Life Guards, the Household Brigade and the Household Dragoons, all of which were classed as Household troops, were amalgamated into a single regiment.