Mats Nilsson

Lieutenant General Mats Evald Nilsson (born 30 December 1956) is a Swedish Air Force officer. He served as Inspector General of the Air Force from 2000 to 2002, as head of the Joint Forces Directorate from 2002 to 2007 and as Chief of Defence Staff in 2007. Nilsson served as the First Marshal of the Court from 2012 to 2022.

Early life Nilsson was born in Västerås, Sweden and grew up in Lomma, Scania, having moved there with his parents when he was three years old. Nilsson started gliding when he was 15-year-old. Nilsson was also a talented high school student, and as such also an exchange student in the United States. and flew Saab 37 Viggen as a lieutenant. He left the position of Inspector General of the Air Force on 1 December 2002 and took charge of the Joint Forces Directorate (Krigsförbandsledningen) in the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters. He was at the same time promoted to lieutenant general. Nilsson later served as the Chief of Training & Development (Produktionschef) and as Chief of Defence Staff where he was replaced by Sverker Göranson on 1 November 2007. On 18 October 2007, Nilsson was appointed head of the Unit for Military Defense in the Ministry of Defence, the unit which prepares cases and questions on planning, managing and monitoring the military defense's tasks, ability, and operations.

Foreign