Welcome aboard, here’s your FNC

How about these great images of the incoming batch of conscripts (Värnpliktig) reporting for service with the Stockholms Amfibieregemente (Amf 1, the 1st Marine Regiment) in Sweden? On day one, before they even go for their equipment draw or haircut, they meet their new (to them, at least) Automatkarbin 5, or Ak5. The Swedes had gotten away from conscription in 2007 then resumed it in 2017 as Russia got increasingly, well, Russia. Note that big winter triggerguard, something needed in Sweden, and the super comfy sling. I love a wide sling. Today, just 8,000 youth see mandatory service annually, training anywhere from 6 to 15 months; plans are to ramp this up to over 10,000 in the next couple of years. About 30,000 inductees report, and the upper tier is selected to serve. For reference, Sweden has about 29,000 men and women on active duty, a figure that would triple when the reserves and home guard (Hemvärnet) are activated. Amf 1 was formed in 2000 as part of the Swedish Amphibious…