| Operation Gloria | |
|---|---|
| Part ofCOVID-19 pandemic in Sweden | |
| Operational scope | Operational, Supporting,Military operations other than war |
| Location | |
| Commanded by | Commander Fredrik Utterström[1][2] |
| Target | Supporting Swedish civil agencies in handling theCOVID-19 pandemic in Sweden. |
| Date | 11 March 2020 – 31 January 2023[3] |
| Executed by | Swedish Armed Forces:
|
Operation Gloria was aSwedish military operation conducted in support of handling theCOVID-19 pandemic in Sweden.
Sweden's first case ofCOVID-19 was discovered in January 2020. The 11th of March, the SwedishPublic Health Agency (Folkhälsomyndigheten) asked theSwedish Armed Forces for support in handling the outbreak.[2]
The Swedish Armed Forces was first tasked with supporting the civilian society in case of peace time emergencies in 1995 bythe then current Swedish government. The task was abolished in 2004, but was later added again in 2009.[6]
The Swedish Armed Forces set up twofield hospitals; one in the capital city ofStockholm, and one inGothenburg, on the west coast. Originally, the armed forces was preparing to set up a field hospital atÄrna Air Base inUppsala, north of Stockholm. The resources were instead rerouted toÄlvsjö mess hall, in southern Stockholm. The hospital was prepared to admit 550ICU patients, but was demobilised in June 2020, without taking in one single patient. This was due to the hospital in the Stockholm area had contingency preparedness and was able to handle the situation by themselves.[7]
The armed forces also sent staff officers and civilian personnel to supportSwedish National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen),Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Tillväxtverket), and severalcounty administrative boards (Länsstyrelser).
The SwedishPrince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland, asked, and served inthe Swedish Armed Forces high command to support the operational staff leading the support operation. He served with the rank ofmajor at the time.[8]
The armed forces providedtransport capacity to several civilian agencies in the form of ambulances and airlift capabilities in the form of helicopters -NHIndustries NH90 - and aircraft -C-130 Hercules.[2]
The armed forces provided the civilian agencies with 50.000gas masks and 40.000chemical weapons protection gear. It also supported withmedical technologies equipment,EKG equipment, andX-rays.[9]
The largest part of Operation Gloria was military personnel helping out with gathering and deliveries ofcontact tracing tests. Military personnel, mainly from theHome Guard (Hemvärnet) - but alsoconscripts and professional soldiers - delivered and gathered individual self tests from sick individuals and delivered these to test labs for control, contact tracing, andanti-bodies.[9][4]
The Swedish Armed Forces were asked to relieve the civilian medical organisations byvaccinating their own personnel, mainly in the regions ofBlekinge,Halland, andVästra Götaland County.[10]
After some debate, Swedish military personnel taking part in international military missions - such asMINUSMA - were allowed to be vaccinated ahead of time.[11]
TheNational CBRN Defence Centre (Totalförsvarets skyddscentrum, SkyddsC) inUmeå conducted anexercise together withUppsala University Hospital (Akademiska sjukhuset) and the Public Health Agency to maintain readiness and Freedom of Action to sampling and analyzing possiblecontagion. The exercise showed a positive outcome. This resource was however never activated.[12]