Stefan Hyttfors, 56, works as a lecturer. After Russia's major attack on Ukraine in February 2022, he decided to join the Home Guard.
- I felt that I had an obligation to contribute, says Stefan Hyttfors.
He did the ragging at K4 in Arvidsjaur 35 years ago, and thinks that much of today's home defense equipment is roughly the same material as when he was mucking.
An example is body armor 90, which is issued to men in the Home Guard. It protects against so-called secondary fragments, i.e. fragments that are thrown away by the pressure wave during an explosion.
Stefan Hyttfors describes body protection 90 as clumsy and heavy compared to more modern variants. It is a “penguin coat with a beaver tail” in his words.
It also does not withstand bullets from firearms, unlike the body armor issued to professional soldiers and conscripts.
- Body protection 90 is very bad if you compare it with today's variants. Is it reasonable to stand as a combatant and not have protection from enemy fire? says Stefan Hyttfors.
His answer was no. Therefore, he bought his own protection for approximately SEK 10,000. But when he started wearing it in connection with a Home Guard mission as a shooting instructor, something happened.
- I was no longer called as an instructor. Then I was told the other way around that it was no longer possible because I had "a vest like that".
A bit of a shame, Stefan Hyttfors thinks, but it doesn't really bother him that much. However, he thinks it is strange that the 23,000 Home Guard soldiers do not have the same equipment as other soldiers.
- It is strange that people think that some are prioritized while others are a B team, says Stefan Hyttfors.
Since the beginning of the year, he has been making videos on YouTube about military equipment and life as a Home Guard soldier. Viewers often get in touch, and many have opinions about particular equipment – for example, body protection.
- It's one of those things that almost everyone wants to get themselves. But it will be unreasonably expensive for most people, says Stefan Hyttfors.
Richard Eriksson, National Home Guard administrator, states that helmets, weapons and body armor are common defense equipment that the soldiers are not allowed to replace.
- We have an employer responsibility to ensure that the equipment works. Even vests require that you make sure that there are no cracks in them, that they work, says Richard Eriksson.
The fact that the Home Guard soldiers have body armor 90 is about priorities, according to Eriksson. Partly for financial reasons, partly because of the soldiers' mission.
NATO divides the geography into forward areas, near the border with Russia. There, the army's brigades have their tasks, with soldiers wearing bulletproof vests in battle.
Then there are back areas, such as the Swedish territory. Here the Home Guard has its mission: to protect and monitor critical infrastructure.
- In the rear area, we see a threat picture in the form of special forces, proxy fighters, ballistic missiles and possibly long-range drones, says Richard Eriksson.
He believes that body armor 90 fulfills a function, because it protects against secondary splinters, which can occur in attacks with robots and drones. Newer vests with protective plates can withstand bullets, but cover a smaller part of the body.
- If you only have plates, that's not enough. You must be able to take the splinter picture, says Richard Eriksson.
He does not want to comment on the specific case when Stefan Hyttfors was not allowed to continue as an instructor because he was wearing his own vest. But Richard Eriksson can speak generally about similar situations.
- Our equipment is good enough for our task, and if you are an instructor, it is pedagogically right to have the same equipment as the soldiers. It's easy for a soldier to look at the instructor and want to do the same, says Richard Eriksson.
Stefan Hyttfors has posted a video about body armor on his YouTube channel, called Militärprylar. He starts with a few words about "The armed forces seem to think that some bodies are worth better protection than others".
- This is a serious question. At the end of the day, it's all about me wanting to improve our ability. I might be able to push the boundaries by appearing in better solutions than those that exist, he says.
