Malm graduated from
Military Academy Karlberg in 1921 and was commissioned as an officer and assigned as a second lieutenant to
Svea Artillery Regiment the same year, where he was promoted to lieutenant in 1925. He attended the General Artillery Course at the
Artillery and Engineering College from 1922 to 1923 and the Higher Artillery Course there from 1924 to 1926. He then served in the
Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration between 1933 and 1943: as a control officer at the Control Department (
Kontrollavdelningen) in the Military Office (
Militärbyrån) in the Artillery Department (
Artilleridepartementet) from 1933 to 1936, in the Artillery Gun and Instrumentation Department (
Pjäs- och instrumentavdelningen) in the 1st Materiel Office (
1. materielbyrån) in the Ordnance Department (
Tygdepartementet) from 1936 to 1940, as head of and rapporteur in the Industry Office (
Industribyrån) in the Ordnance Department from 1940 to 1941 and as head of the Maintenance Office (
Underhållsbyrån) in the Ordnance Department from 1941 to 1943. Malm was promoted to captain in 1935 and transferred to the
Swedish Army Ordnance Corps in 1936. He attended an ordnance officer course in 1940 and was promoted to major in 1941. In 1943 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel, after which he served in
Östgöta Anti-Aircraft Regiment from 1943 to 1945. He served from 1945 to 1948 in the Anti-Aircraft Department (
Luftvärnsavdelningen) in the Army Inspectorate (
Arméinspektionen) in the
Army Staff, whereupon from 1948 to 1949 Malm was an assistant at the Weapons Office (
Vapenbyrån) in the Ordnance Department (
Tygavdelningen) of the Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration. He was a member of the board of the
Swedish National Defence Research Institute from 1957 to 1964 and chairman of the Central Joint Consultation Board of the Swedish Armed Forces (
Försvarets centrala företagsnämnd) from 1960 to 1964. Malm retired from active service in 1964 and was promoted to lieutenant general on the reserve list. . “As the newly appointed Master-General of the Ordnance, Edward Malm was faced with procurement tasks that were both technically and financially more extensive than those his predecessors had to solve. This extensive procurement activity had been prompted by the
Defence Act of 1958, that the Army's equipment would soon be significantly strengthened with weapon systems, which a potential attacker would not be able to easily destroy with the help of
tactical nuclear weapons. Among other things, it was a matter of developing combat vehicles of new kinds, mainly a new tank, an armored,
self-propelled, long-range artillery gun and a new, relatively well-armed vehicle for
armoured infantry. Malm was well grown for the big tasks. His powerful figure proved to be matched by an ability to work and a courage to make difficult decisions, which went far beyond the ordinary. Purposefully, he expanded his knowledge in the relevant technology areas. As for the previously mentioned new combat vehicles, for which he was given responsibility, he was not satisfied with the knowledge and experience that was available within Sweden. More than any of his predecessors, he took the time to study developments elsewhere and to discuss important problems with foreign expertise on his own. Edward Malm personally took a very active part in the decisive negotiations with the industrial companies concerned prior to the serial acquisition of the new combat vehicles. It has been testified that he was perceived by the companies as a hard negotiator. This was particularly evident in the final negotiations on the series agreement for the new tank,
Stridsvagn S (Strv 103), which
AB Bofors was to manufacture [...]. It is said to have caused concern and dismay in several places within the company, when Malm in private negotiation with the company management about this the largest single order in both the Royal Swedish Army Ordnance Administration and in AB Bofors' history managed to settle a series price, which was significantly below what was offered. It also gave Malm great satisfaction [...] to experience several years later that this agreement, which was initially perceived as pressured, became very beneficial for the company as well, in that it, in order for it to be profitable, forced a rationalization of the manufacturing process to a degree which was not previously considered possible." ==Personal life==