Royal Swedish Army Ordnance Administration (, KATF) was a Swedish administrative authority which existed from 1954 to 1968. It sorted under the Ministry of Defence and had the task of overseeing the ordnance administration of the Swedish Army (from 1966 it was the central administrative authority for the administration of the ordnance and ammunition). From 1964 to 1968, the authority was called the Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration (Kungliga Arméförvaltningen, KAF).
History and organisation
The Ordnance Department of the Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration (KAFT) was reformed on 1 July 1954, into an independent authority under the name of Armétygförvaltningen ("Army Ordnance Administration"). At the same time, the Commissariat Department of the Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration had been reformed into the Royal Swedish Army Supply Administration, which meant that the Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration ceased. After the Royal Swedish Army Supply Administration on 1 July 1963 was amalgamated into the Quartermaster Administration of the Swedish Armed Forces, the Royal Swedish Army Ordnance Administration changed name on 1 July 1964 to the Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration (Arméförvaltningen). The Quartermaster Administration of the Swedish Armed Forces and the new Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration was amalgamated into the Defence Materiel Administration on 1 July 1968.
The Chief of the Army was also chief of the Royal Swedish Army Ordnance Administration from its formation until 30 June 1963. During this period, the closest command over the authority was exercised by a vice chief (souschef), who had the title of Master-General of the Ordnance. From 1 July 1963, the head of the authority (still under the title of Master-General of the Ordnance) was no longer subordinate to the Chief of the Army. At the authority, there was also the Deputy Chief of Ordnance, who, from 1 July 1957, was deputy to the vice chief and from 1 July 1963, deputy to the head of the authority. The vice chief (1954–1963) and the chief (1963–1968) were from 1954 to 1968 members of the Administration Board of the Swedish Armed Forces.
The authority initially consisted of five departments: Vapenavdelningen ("Weapons Department"), Fordonsavdelningen ("Vehicle Department"), Elektroavdelningen ("Electrical Department"), Verkstadsavdelningen ("Workshop Department") and Inköpsavdelningen ("Purchasing Department"). In addition, there were four independent bureaus: Tygförrådsbyrån ("Ordnance Storage Bureau"), Ammunitionsförrådsbyrån ("Ammunition Storage Bureau"), Normaliebyrån and Administrativa byrån ("Administrative Bureau"). Other units were the Centralplaneringen ("Central Planning"), the Materielinspektionen ("Materiel Inspection"), Provskjutningscentralen ("Test Firing Center") and Personalkårexpeditionen ("Administrative Corps' Office"). The Test Firing Center was amalgamated into a unit of the Weapons Department on 1 July 1957. The Central Planning and the Materiel Inspection were subordinated to the Deputy Chief of Ordnance from 1 July 1962. On 1 July 1964, the Underrättelsecentralen ("Intelligence Center") was added and on 1 January 1966 the Datacentralen was added ("Data Center"), which also were subordinate to the Deputy Chief of Ordnance. The heads of the Workshop Department and the Purchasing Department were referred to as Army Chief Director (Arméöverdirektör) and Purchasing Director (Inköpsdirektör) respectively. The head of the Administrative Office was referred to as Krigsråd (military councillor). The authority's board consisted of the Deputy Chief of Ordnance, the heads of departments and the head of the Administrative Bureau. On 1 July 1968, the Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration's hierarchical organization (except the Administrative Bureau) was transferred largely unchanged to the Army Materiel Administration (Armématerielförvaltningen, FMV-A) in the Defence Materiel Administration.
The Royal Swedish Army Ordnance Administration's personnel in 1954 amounted to approximately 1,350 people. Of these, about 360 served in the Weapons Department, about 210 in the Vehicle Department, about 210 in the Electrical Department, about 130 in the Workshop Department and about 80 in the Purchasing Department. A total of about 330 people served in the Ordnance Storage Bureau, the Ammunition Storage Bureau, the Normaliebyrån, the Test Firing Center and the Administrative Bureau. In addition, a total of about 25 people were included in the Central Planning and the Materiel Inspection.