Defence and society

A deteriorating security situation in Europe, the war in Ukraine and new forms of threats have brought fundamental questions about the relationship between defence and society into sharp focus. The Defence and society project addresses these challenges by examining how the armed forces and society mutually shape one another, and how this interaction is crucial for future military capability, preparedness and total defence.

The war in Ukraine, new types of security threats and an overall deterioration of the security environment in Europe raise questions that place the relationship between the armed forces and society under particular strain. Lessons from the war in Ukraine, for example, highlight the importance of societal preparedness, public engagement and a robust civil defence, not least in urban areas. Furthermore, it is often emphasised that the new security environment—especially for a small state such as Sweden—places greater demands on conceptual factors such as flexibility and creativity in order to strengthen military warfighting capability and the capacity of the Total Defence system to meet future threats.

Deeper insights into how societal development affects the armed forces, and vice versa, are essential for creating the conditions for flexibility and creativity, and thus for assessing and shaping military development.

The Defence and society flagship project generates new knowledge about the mutual relationship and interaction between the armed forces and society—that is, how they shape one another. The project examines how societal phenomena, dynamics and processes of change enable and shape military power and military capability, and how military power in turn shapes and has effects on society.

The overarching aim of the flagship project is operationalised through research in three thematic areas that are central to the relationship and interaction between the armed forces and society:

• Cities and war
• Defence and societal change
• Military knowledge

Cities and war

The Cities and war research area examines the interaction between the armed forces and the urban environment. The focus is on issues related to military operations in urban settings, military and civilian preparedness in cities, and cooperation between military and civilian actors within the urban components of the Total Defence system, from historical, contemporary and future perspectives.

Defence and societal change

The Defence and societal change research area explores the relationship between military defence and societal ideas, technologies and processes of change, such as demographic shifts and technological innovation by private actors.

Military knowledge

The Military knowledge research area addresses issues related to the role of the armed forces as an expert organisation and producer of knowledge, military knowledge management, knowledge within the framework of professional military education (Professional Military Education, PME), and epistemic challenges arising from the development of artificial intelligence.