Jonas, what is your role and what tasks does your unit have?
The Helicopter Wing is my home unit where I started my career as a helicopter pilot and it is now fantastic to have the opportunity to lead the unit that has characterized my personal development and role as a leader in the Armed Forces.
I am fascinated by leadership and how we work with it in the Armed Forces. Seeing people grow and groups develop to handle tasks in a complex, unfamiliar and uncomfortable environment made me want to take on more responsibility. I have always been clear about what I want, what my ambitions are and set personal goals. I think that quality is important as a leader and the Armed Forces have been a good environment where I have been allowed to grow and show what I'm capable of.
As a wing commander, my task is to realize the assignments that the senior commander sets for the unit. It is about preparedness and operations nationally and internationally, planning missions in crisis and war and supporting society during severe stresses. As a leader of 1000 employees, it is about enthusing, coaching, explaining and creating conditions for the development of employees and units. Understanding what employees in the Helicopter Wing can contribute to the functioning of the whole is a prerequisite for being able to solve our task and, not least, this stimulates taking greater responsibility and being able to develop oneself. It's about credibility in what we do internally in the Swedish Armed Forces and externally towards the citizens of society.

You have also served as the head of Swedish units abroad in Afghanistan. How did that task and time affect you as a leader?
The benefit of leading a unit in a live situation under conditions that are far from our safe everyday life has given me many valuable experiences. The most important experience is the importance of a clear and common goal. In Afghanistan, everyone knew why we were there, what our mission was and what was expected of us. We had prepared together and built a team where everyone knew their role and what the expectations were. The pride of being part of something bigger contributed to great achievements where everyone could enjoy the successes and results of the unit. The team was crucial to what we achieved in Afghanistan. It taught me to recognize the importance of the individual and his/her different abilities and, based on this, to put together the right team to solve tasks in a unique environment under threat and external influence.

What challenges do you see ahead of you as a unit commander in the near future?
Our biggest challenge right now within the Helicopter Wing and in the Armed Forces is to become more. We need to recruit more employees to meet the demands placed on us. As unit commander, I need to take clear responsibility for creating a work environment that everyone wants to belong to. Such an environment creates pride and relevance in belonging to the team and it contributes to employees wanting to stay and develop in their role and career. This shows that we are a modern and credible organization and employer and hopefully more people will want to join the Armed Forces.
I am very positive about the future and the development we are facing. The Armed Forces have become a more visible part of our society and we are increasingly in demand. As a wing commander, this places new demands on me and my leadership, but it also means a stimulating challenge to be part of something bigger and more in demand, which also motivates me to develop more.