Nordbeck was born on 19 July 1938 in Grängesberg, Sweden, the son of Stig Nordbeck and his wife Kerstin. His father, an engineer, was at the time of his birth, employed by Gränges AB in Grängesberg in Dalarna. Nordbeck has two siblings and two half-siblings. One-year-old, Nordbeck moved to Karlskrona where his father took up a position as chief engeineer at Karlskrona City Municipal Enterprises in 1939. It was the Swedish Auxiliary Naval Corps who got him interested in the sea and directed him to a naval officer course.
Career
Nordbeck attended the Royal Swedish Naval Academy from 1957 to 1960 and served in the Coastal Fleet from 1960 to 1970 aboard destroyers and torpedo boats. Nordbeck then attended the Swedish Armed Forces Staff College from 1970 to 1972 and was captain of the and commanding officer of the 11th Torpedo Boat Division before attending the Naval War College in the United States from 1974 to 1975. Prior to his education in the United States, Nordbeck was a distinguished technician, but later focused on strategy and security policy. Back in Sweden, Nordbeck served in the Naval Staff from 1975 to 1978 and in the Defence Staff from 1978 to 1986, where he was head of Planning Section 1 in the Planning Staff from 1982. He served in the Coastal Fleet from 1986 to 1988 and was chief of staff of Southern Military Area from 1988 to 1991. During 1992 Nordbeck was the head of the Supreme Commander's Planning Department at the Defence Staff and from 1993 to 1994 he served as Chief of the Defence Staff. Nordbeck served as chief of the Joint Operations Command until the 1 July 1994 when he was appointed Chief of Navy Staff as well as Chief of the Naval Command, a position he held until 1 July 1998. Nordbeck is an honorary member of the Royal Swedish Society of Naval Sciences, in which he was elected in 1978 as number 1046. He was president of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences until 10 November 1999. He was also chairman and is honorary chairman of the Friends of the Vasa Museum Association. Nordbeck was also Inspectore Emeriti of the naval academic association SjöLund and Inspector of the naval association SjöCannnes.
Personal life
In 1962 he married the physiotherapist Eva Lindblad, the daughter of colonel Törd Lindblad and Ruth. They have two children, Marie and Carl.
