Naval Staff (Sweden)

Naval Staff
Marinstaben (MS)
Coat of arms of the Swedish Naval Staff.
Active	1907–1994
Country	Sweden
Allegiance	Krigsmakten/Swedish Armed Forces
Branch	Swedish Navy
Type	Staff
Garrison/HQ

Naval Staff (Swedish: Marinstaben, abbreviated MS) was the staff of the Chief of the Swedish Navy. Established in 1907, it originated from the Fleet Staff (Flottans stab) which was established in 1896. The Naval Staff's duties included, among other things to assist the Chief of the Navy with leadership of the Navy's mobilization, training, tactics, organization, equipment and personnel to the extent that such activity was not directly related to operational activities, which was handled by the Defence Staff. In 1994 the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters took over the Naval Staff's duties.

The Naval Staff originated from 1884 when it was decided in renewed regulations for the Swedish Navy that the head of the Ministry for Naval Affairs in purely military matters would be assisted by the Chief of the Fleet Staff. The Fleet Staff (Flottans stab) was organized by a royal proclamation on 29 May 1896. The staff consisted of a Chief and the officers commanded to serve in the staff. Since the Coastal Artillery was established in 1902 and incorporated into the Swedish Fleet (Svenska flottan) and both some time later received collectively the name Swedish Navy (Svenska marinen), its name was changed by a royal proclamation on 31 December 1907 to the Naval Staff (Marinstaben).

Initially the Naval Staff's main task was to draw up plans for the Navy's mobilization and its use during war and proposals for improvements with regard to its staff, its training and exercises. The operations of the staff was initially divided into three departments, Mobilization and Statistics Department, the Communications Department and the Organization Department. The Chief was to the King in Council a responsible flag officer or captain, and had as its main obligation to, after consultation with the Inspector of Naval Exercises at Sea, to draw up proposals for instructions for naval commanders at sea; to examine incoming and annual general reports; to give suggestions for code of statutes, regulations and instructions for the fleet, which were not of an economic nature, proposals for duty time for the navy conscripts and fleet exercises and more.