The Naval Staff's duties included, among other things to assist the Chief of the Navy with leadership of the Navy's mobilization, training, tactics, organization, equipment and personnel to the extent that such activity was not directly related to operational activities, which was handled by the Defence Staff.

The Naval Staff originated from 1884 when it was decided in renewed regulations for the Swedish Navy that the head of the Ministry for Naval Affairs in purely military matters would be assisted by the Chief of the Fleet Staff.

[5] The Chief was to the King in Council a responsible flag officer or captain, and had as its main obligation to, after consultation with the Inspector of Naval Exercises at Sea, to draw up proposals for instructions for naval commanders at sea; to examine incoming and annual general reports; to give suggestions for code of statutes, regulations and instructions for the fleet, which were not of an economic nature, proposals for duty time for the navy conscripts and fleet exercises and more.

[4] A few years later, the work of the Naval Staff were divided into four department, each with a regimental officer of the fleet as a head: the Mobilization Department, which drew up a large part of the plans for naval mobilization, dealing with matters relating to coastal artillery and conscription and more; Communications Department, which handle matters relating to the use of naval forces in wartime, the signal system, tactics and monitoring service, the Maritime Pilots Administration, military trails, waterways, canals and more; Organization Department, which prepared proposals for the improvement of the naval organization, plans for the annual fleet exercises, proposed code of statues and regulations and more; and the Foreign Department, which collected intelligence on naval warfare in foreign countries, conducted historical research on naval warfare and cared for the staff's library.

In addition to the Chief and department heads, there were about 20 officers from the Navy and the Coastal Artillery commanded to serve in the Naval Staff at some time or until further notice.

[11] The main part of the Naval Staff was from 1943 to 1981 located in the building Tre Vapen at Banérgatan 62-64 and at seven other places in the Stockholm area.

Blazon: "Azure, an anchor erect cabled, surmounted two gunbarrels old pattern in saltire, all in or".