The practice of war

In a rapidly changing security environment, new demands are being placed on how warfare is planned, commanded and conducted. The pilot project The Practice of War at the Swedish Defence University’s Institute of Warfare aims to strengthen knowledge of modern warfare through close cooperation between research and military practice, with a focus on lessons from today’s conflicts and the development of tomorrow’s military capabilities.

The Practice of War is a pilot project at the Institute of Warfare at the Swedish Defence University. The Institute takes as its point of departure today’s rapidly evolving security situation, not least as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Sweden’s membership of NATO. Together with rapid technological development, this places new demands on how the Swedish Armed Forces plan, command and conduct warfare. Against this background, The Practice of War seeks to complement the Swedish Defence University’s other research by contributing knowledge that the Swedish Armed Forces regard as directly relevant to the development of warfighting capability – from tactics to strategy, across all domains: land, sea, air, space, cyber and the information environment.

Civil–military cooperation

A decisive factor for future success is the ability to draw the right conclusions from today’s conflicts and to make well-founded decisions about tomorrow’s military capabilities. These decisions must rest on both a scientific foundation and proven experience. A key strength of the project is therefore its ambition to foster close cooperation between researchers and professional officers, who together contribute to relevant analyses, publications and the advancement of knowledge.

Developing the Swedish Armed Forces’ warfighting capability

The project is organised into sub-projects linked to the different domains of warfare, and its activities are conducted in close cooperation with the Swedish Armed Forces’ service branches and schools. One difference compared with other projects is that the direction of the research comes directly from the Institute of Warfare’s domain steering groups, in which half of the members are from the Swedish Defence University and half from the service branches. Central themes include NATO adaptation, multi-domain operations, technological development, innovation, and the role of space in warfare.

Through seminars, doctoral participation and interdisciplinary collaboration, The Practice of War aims to build a robust research environment that contributes to the development of the Swedish Armed Forces’ warfighting capability in a complex and constantly changing world.