Military police - meaning and professional identity in a changing security environment

The aim of the study is to increase understanding of military police officers’ work, tasks, and role, how they create meaning in their work, and how their professional identity is expressed in the light of societal, security policy, and organisational change.

Over the past decade, the Swedish Armed Forces have undergone significant transformation processes in relation to personnel-related reforms and have, since 2017, been in a growth phase expected to continue until 2035. In parallel, the strategic focus of the Swedish Armed Forces has shifted from international operations to national defence and, more recently, to total defence. In addition, changes in the global security environment and Sweden’s accession to NATO have had a substantial impact on Swedish security and defence policy. Taken together, these developments contribute to changes in military professional roles.

One professional category that illustrates these dynamics is military police officers. At the same time, the role of the military police remains relatively underexplored in academic research. There is a lack of knowledge regarding their working conditions, their professional identity, and their function and role within the military system and Swedish society. The purpose of the study is therefore to increase understanding of military police officers’ work, tasks, and role, how they create meaning in their work, and how their professional identity is expressed in the context of societal, security policy, and organisational change.

The study is qualitative in nature, and the data collected consist of interviews with military police officers, expert interviews, and field notes from observations. Taken together, these data provide a broad and holistic basis for addressing the study’s research questions. The research project has undergone ethical review and has received approval.