Vice Admiral (ret’d) Jan Thörnqvist

Jan Thörnqvist has 44 years of experience from the Swedish Armed Forces inseveral different management positions at all levels. He has broad experience in personnel services, training, management, procurement and development of materiel, combat technical and tactical development, as well as operational and strategic planning and operations. During his career in the Navy he served at various levels in several di􀆯erent positions on the Mine Warfare and Naval Warfare Flotillas, e.g. clearance diver, weapons o􀆯icer, executive o􀆯icer, ship and squadron commander and sta􀆯 o􀆯icer. In 2005 he graduated from the U.S. Naval Command Course at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, R.I. Subsequently, he served as head of force development at the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters followed by appointments as flotilla commander and naval base commander. In 2010 he was appointed as as Force Commander in EU operation ATALANTA in the Gulf of Aden and of the Horn of Africa. In 2011, Thörnqvist was appointed Rear Admiral and Chief of the Navy and, in parallel with this position, the Armed Forces’ principal responsible for the joint implementation and development of C-IED and a member of the Board of Directors of the Swedish Maritime Administration. In April 2016, the government appointed Thörnqvist as Vice Admiral and Chief of the Armed Forces Operational Command, a position he held until his retirement in September 2020. During this period, he was also Supreme Commandant at the Royal Palace in Stockholm and a member of the Board of Directors of the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration. At the time of his retirement, Thörnqvist became a reserve o􀆯icer. In 2022, two years after his retirement from the Swedish Armed Forces, he was employed by Saab AB as a senior military advisor at group level, a position he held until July 2024. In September 2024, he founded the company Sea Guardian Solutions AB together with Thomas Ljungqvist, a friend and former colleague. Thörnqvist is a member of the Royal Swedish Naval Society and the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences. He is chairman of the board of the Friends of the Naval Museum and the Friends of the Navy Band in Karlskrona. Thörnqvist has a wide network of contacts and solid experience of cooperation with authorities, organizations and the business community, as well as a diploma in security protection management.