Curt Sjöö

Sjöö was born on 16 March 1937 in Eksjö Parish, Jönköping County, Sweden,[1] the son of Ernst Sjöö and his wife Ester (née Isaksson).[2] He passed studentexamen in Eksjö in 1955.[2] He finished third is his class at the Military Academy Karlberg when he graduated in September 1958.[3]

Sjöö was commissioned as an officer in the Scanian Logistic Regiment (T 4) in 1958 with the rank of second lieutenant.[2] He served in the Swedish Army School of Logistics (Arméns underhållsskola, US)[4] and attended the Swedish Armed Forces Staff College from 1966 to 1969 and then served in the Army Staff and the Defence Staff between 1969 and 1978.[2] Between 1973 and 1974 he served in the Swedish UN battalion in Cyprus, part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).[4] He served in the Norrland Logistic Regiment in Sollefteå when he was appointed as a regimental officer in Ar 29 in the Defence Staff and from 1 May 1974 appointed as a major in the General Staff Corps.[5] On 1 October 1974, he was appointed lieutenant colonel in the General Staff Corps.[6] During April 1975, he served as ADC on duty to His Majesty the King Carl XVI Gustaf,[7] including during his visit to Denmark.[8] On 25 April 1975, Sjöö was ordered to be available as an expert in the commission Kvinnan och försvarets yrken ("Women and military professions") (SOU 1977:26).[9] During November 1978, he served as ADC of duty to His Majesty the King.[10]

Sjöö served as battalion commander in the Svea Logistic Regiment (T 1) in Linköping from 1978 to 1980. On 1 April 1980 he was promoted to colonel and assumed the position as head of the Military Academy Karlberg.[4] In March 1983, Sjöö was elected chairman of the Trängklubben, an association of military logistic officers in active service and in the reserve.[11] On 1 April 1983, Sjöö was promoted to senior colonel and assumed the position of Inspector of the Swedish Army Service Troops.[12] In May 1983, Sjöö became a board member of the National Society for Road Safety.[13] Sjöö was section chief in the staff of the Western Military District (Milo V) from 1987 to 1988[2] and on 1 October 1988, Sjöö was promoted to major general and assumed the position of Chief of the Army Staff.[14] On 1 April 1990, Sjöö was promoted to lieutenant general and assumed the position of military commander of the Upper Norrland Military District, succeeding lieutenant general Åke Sagrén on the post.[15] In 1993, the Upper Norrland Military District (Milo ÖN) and the Lower Norrland Military District (Milo NN) amalgamated and created the Northern Military District (Milo N) of which Sjöö became commander.[2] His appointment was prolonged on 1 July 1994.[16] He left the position and retired in 1996.[2] On 1 April 1997, Sjöö took office as Chief of His Majesty's Military Staff.[17] He served in this position until 2003.

On 14 June 1958, Sjöö got engaged to Birgitta Sköld.[18] In 1960, he married Birgitta Sköld (born 1936), the daughter of major Nils Sköld and Karin (née Fredriksson).[2]

• 1958 – Second lieutenant
• 19?? – Lieutenant
• 1966 – Captain
• 1972 – Major
• 1 October 1974 – Lieutenant colonel
• 1 April 1980 – Colonel
• 1 April 1983 – Senior colonel
• 1 October 1988 – Major general
• 1 April 1990 – Lieutenant general

• Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences (1983)[23]
• Honorary member of the Swedish Pistol Shooting Association (Svenska pistolskytteförbundet)[24]