Swedish Defence University
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Försvarsvilja hos unga i ett förändrat säkerhetsläge
No full textThis study explores the factors influencing the defense willingness of Swedish young adults, particularly their willingness to contribute to national defense efforts and the paradox between perceived threats and strong belief that a threat could occur which leads to mixed responses in defense willingness through qualitative interviews. The aim of this study is to provide a deeper understanding of young Swedish people's defense willingness and the perceived contradiction between threat awareness and defense willingness. The research question concerns the youth's views on military service and perceived threats. One key finding concerns the youth’s awareness of potential threats which they do not express strong fear of. There is also a noticeable gap in knowledge and trust between civil defense institutions and the military. They have a higher trust in but also have a lower willingness to engage in the military defense institution. Despite this, there is still a strong sense of collective responsibility, particularly for protecting family, which influences their willingness to defend. The study highlights that defense willingness in young Swedes is shaped more by personal and familial concern rather than national threats. The findings also suggest that more accessible information and clearer roles in war or crisis situations are important in order to foster engagement in both military and civil defense. The study emphasizes the importance of further understanding these attitudes and developing strategies for increasing defense willingness among youth
Focalizing Warfighters : Combat Cohesion from Below
No full textIn this dissertation I inquire into the conditions that enable cohesive combat performance. I do so by critiquing existing literature on methodological grounds, arguing that the warfighters are studied but unheard, leading to an empirical gap with theoretical implications. To remedy the situation, I employed an ethnographic approach which focalizes warfighters, narratively uncovering the meaning-making of those who fight. I collected empirics in Ukraine, predominantly along the frontlines during the 2023 counter-offensive. The results were then analyzed for patterns of meaning and point towards combat cohesion as an instantiated phenomenon enabled by three conditions. These three conditions are the following. First, motivation to fight stems from the warfighter’s individual sense of Self as a whole and temporally continuously self-narrated person who must act to preserve their sense of Self upon the advent of war. Second, organizational and immediate leaders need to be narrated as worthy enough to follow. Lastly, warfighters need shared fighting skills and a library of narratives that inform the individual warfighter of how to ‘read’ battle as it unfolds and their ability to act in order to affect the outcome. The results hold implications for the study and conduct of military organizations and warfighters.I den här avhandlingen undersöker jag de förhållanden som möjliggör en stridande enhets koordinerade uppträdande. Jag gör det genom att kritisera existerande forskning på metodologiska grunder utifrån bristen på att stridande är studerade men ohörda. Detta har lett till en empirisk brist med teoretiska implikationer. Med det som avstamp tar jag en etnografisk ansats som sätter stridande individer i centrum, för att narrativt undersöka hur stridande människor uppfattar och skapar mening i strid. Det empiriska materialet samlade jag in i Ukraina, framförallt längs frontområden under motoffensiven 2023. Resultaten analyserades därefter för mönster av mening och pekar mot att sammanhållning i strid är ett tillfälligt uppkommet fenomen som möjliggörs av tre förhållanden. Dessa tre förhållanden är som följer. För det första härleds motivation att strida från den enskildes Jagkänsla som en hel och temporalt kontinuerlig person som måste agera för att fortsätta vara den personen de redan beskriver sig som när kriget kommer. För det andra är organisatoriska och omedelbara ledare av den stridande beskrivna som tillräckligt värda att följa i stunden. Och för det tredje behöver stridande delade färdigheter i strid och ett bibliotek av narrativ som informerar den stridande hur denne ska ’läsa’ striden medan den utspelas och vilka handlingsalternativ som finns för att påverka förloppet. Resultaten har stor betydelse för både forskare och praktiker inom militära organisationer och strid
Förändringens Vind?
No full textThis thesis examines how middle managers in the Swedish Army perceive the implementation of the change initiative FM AGERA, aimed at improving efficiency, reducing bureaucracy, and promoting leadership development. Using John P. Kotter’s eight-step model as an analytical framework, the thesis explores whether the intended changes have been effectively communicated, supported, and integrated at different organizational levels. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with ten officers from different army units, analyzed deductively with coding based on Kotter’s steps. Results show a strong willingness for change and localized successes, but also reveal barriers including unclear strategic direction, inconsistent communication, and resistance within administrative support functions. The thesis highlights the critical role of middle managers in translating central initiatives into practice and emphasizes the need for stronger leadership alignment, continuous follow-up, and system-level support to achieve sustainable change
Att förstå doktrin i förändring : En framinganalys av hur Multi-Domain Operations inramas inom Försvarsmakten i skiftet mot Nato
No full textThis study analyses how key actors within the Swedish Armed Forces construct an understanding of doctrinal change. Specifically, it explores the frames and framing strategies employed to articulate the introduction of Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) in the context of Sweden’s accession to NATO. Drawing on content analysis and the framing theory of Benford and Snow (2000) and Wikman (2024), the study examines how actors legitimise doctrinal transformation. The analysis demonstrates how actors frame MDO in relation to current Swedish doctrine and use different framing strategies to emphasise certain aspects of their arguments shaping its interpretation and implementation. It contributes to the field of military transformation by addressing a gap in how doctrinal change is framed and understood. Furthermore, the study illustrates the applicability of framing theory within the domain of military studies, thereby extending the theoretical utility and scope of Wikman’s analytical framework
Drivkrafter bakom retention inom Hemvärnet : En studie av soldaters beslut att stanna kvar eller lämna Hemvärnet
No full textStudien undersöker varför individer med minst ett års tjänstgöring i Hemvärnet väljer att fortsätta eller avsluta sin tjänstgöring i förtid. Med Herzbergs tvåfaktorteori som teoretisk ram och en tolkande ansats har intervjuer genomförts med både kvarvarande och avgångna soldater. Resultaten visar att det avgörande är hur väl soldatens initiala förväntningar infrias i praktiken. Organisatoriska utmaningar som begränsad tjänstgöringstid, materielbrister och ineffektivitet förekommer hos båda grupper, men tolkas olika. För de som lämnat upplevs de i konflikt med förväntningarna, medan kvarstannande soldater i högre grad accepterar dem. Studiens kärna är att retention inte förklaras av enskilda faktorer, utan av samspelet mellan motivation, förväntningar och upplevelsen av organisationens förutsättningar
Sverige och Finland : Natoutvidgning på autopilot?
No full textNATO's post-Cold War enlargements have been carried out in rounds under American leadership, some may say, on “autopilot”. This thesis takes a theory-testing approach to understand whether Sweden's and Finland's accession marks a break with this paradigm by examining the driving forces behind the latest enlargement. By combining theories about the driving forces behind previous enlargements in a theoretical framework, these can be tested from three theoretical perspectives – realism, liberalism and constructivism. A preponderance of realistic and security-related driving forces emerges. The liberal perspective of a driving public opinion and the constructivist perspective of an obsolete non-alignment complete the picture. The result shows that few of the driving forces from previous rounds were visible in the case of Sweden/Finland, and furthermore, the driving forces differ between the countries. Thus, NATO's enlargement on "autopilot" can be considered as ended – the enlargement was driven by the countries themselves
Understanding the High North : A Nordic ground forces perspective on the operational environment
No full textThis study explores how senior officers from Norway, Sweden, and Finland perceive the High North as a ground forces operational environment. Through Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA) of in-depth interviews combined with field observations, the research identifies four environmental fundamentals – Theatre, Resource Density, Terrain, and Climate – that shape ground forces operational environment in the region. The findings highlight the operational complexity created by the combination of sparse infrastructure, extreme weather variability, inaccessible terrain, and proximity to Russia’s strategic nuclear assets. A common thread is the necessity of embodied experience as a prerequisite for understanding this unique environment. The study contributes both to academic discourse and to operational planning by offering an analytic model for relating physical conditions to capability requirements. The High North is presented not only as a unique challenge, but as a case for rethinking how ground forces are structured, trained, and led in demanding environments.
All Roads Lead to Oulu : A Geospatial Network Analysis of the Swedish Army's Magazine System in Finland During the Finnish War of 1808–1809
No full textIn the mid-18th century, a system of strategically located magazine supply depots was introduced in Swedish Finland. The magazine system was implemented to supply the Swedish army during conflicts with Russia, where it would play a significant role during the Finnish War of 1808–1809. Due to Finland's geography, storage of supplies in magazines became necessary, making the geographical placement of magazines crucial for supporting the army's military operations. During the war, the Swedish army suffered from vast logistical problems, which have been attributed to the poor administration and transport capacity of the Swedish supply system. One aspect that has not been studied in detail is the geographical locations and distribution of the magazines, despite their perceived importance in early modern warfare in Finland. Thus, it has been unclear what role the spatial structure of magazines played in the logistical problems during the war. The purpose of this study is to determine what role the spatial structure of the magazine system in Finland had regarding the Swedish army's logistical problems during the war. This will be examined through a logistical-geographical perspective using geospatial methodology in the form of geographic information systems (GIS). The geospatial study consists of a network analysis used to map and analyze the geographical distribution of the magazines and their service capability to supply the army. The geospatial results are then interpreted through a qualitative reading of historical source material and the application of an inductively created theoretical framework. The results show that the spatial structure of the magazine system did not seem to be a major problem. On the contrary, the geographical placements of magazines were appropriate for supplying the army and supporting its operations during the war. Throughout the year of 1808, the Finnish War Commissariat made an active effort to continuously redistribute magazines to help the army's situation, resulting in sensible spatial formations that could not, however, address the larger shortcomings of the supply system. These results contribute to a nuanced view of Swedish logistics during the war and provide a geospatial perspective on the conflict
Officerens syn på risktagning i taktiska situationer : En kvalitativ intevjustudie om hur svenska arméofficerare på taktisk nivå ser på risktagning
No full textOfficers in the Armed Forces are expected to make decisions in complex and high-risk situations, where risk-taking can be a crucial factor for success in battle. This study aims to increase the understanding of how Swedish Army officers reason about risk at a tactical level. Through qualitative interviews with officers from combat units, this study analyzes how officers assess tactical scenarios involving alternatives with different levels of risk-taking. The results indicate that risk-taking is not seen as an end in itself, but rather as a conscious and necessary decision to accomplish given tasks, where potential gains must be weighed against possible losses. The study also identifies several key factors that affect officers' decisions such as the purpose of the task, the possibility of positive returns, education, experience and trust within the organization. Notably, differences in reasoning were observed between more experienced and less experienced officers. These findings contribute to the field of military science by emphasizing how situational judgement affects officers tactical risk-taking, rather than personality traits.
Officer med riskaptit : Taktiska beslut i skuggan av förlust
No full textThis study explores how the death of a fellow soldier within one’s own unit affects tactical decision-making among military officers, with a focus on risk propensity. A scenario-based survey experiment was conducted with 40 officers from the Swedish Armed Forces. One group received a scenario involving a fatality, the other a version without such loss. Officers in the experimental group more often chose high-risk options, expressed stronger decision certainty, and placed more emphasis on morale and cohesion. Using Naturalistic Decision Making, Prospect Theory and the Transactional Theory of Stress, the study shows that loss shapes not only what decisions are made, but also how and why. The findings suggest that experiencing loss can increase risk acceptance, influenced by emotion, duty and a desire for control