Elisabeth Sveri

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Elisabeth Sveri (Haldis Elisabeth Arentz Sveri, 21 October 1927 – 30 January 2018) was a pioneering Norwegian military officer. As a young woman she helped in Milorg during World War II. She began a regular army career in 1946 as a platoon leader in Kvinnekompaniet and later worked with Hærens Samband. From 1959 to 1987 she was inspector of women in the Norwegian Army. In 1982 she became lieutenant colonel, the first woman to reach a senior rank in the Norwegian military. She advised Queen Sonja from 1980 to 1987. Between 1961 and 1987 she represented the Norwegian Army on NATO's Committee on Women in the Forces. Sveri led defense groups, including chairing the Oslo branch of Norges Forsvarsforening (1989–1997) and leading the Akershus county chapter of the Pensioners Party (1998–2007), and she was a member of Akershus county council. Internationally, she joined the World Federalist Movement in 1992 and later served as its president. She received several decorations: the National Service Medal, Forsvarsmedaljen, Forsvarsmedaljen med laurbærgren, and she was Knight, First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav. She lived in Eiksmarka and died in 2018.