Swedish National Defence College

About: Swedish National Defence College is a education organization based out in Stockholm, Sweden. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Crisis management & Politics. The organization has 218 authors who have published 569 publications receiving 8074 citations.

Toward an Urban Security Research Agenda in IR

Abstract: Theorizing about the manner in which urban dimensions influence global security and vice versa is still in an embryonic stage. The central argument of this article holds that scholars in the fields of international relations (IR) and security studies largely remain blind to contemporary urban dimensions of global transboundary security issues, and have not yet adequately assessed its dynamics or political implications. In order to stimulate and structure further research, this article sets out to situate issues pertaining to urban security within a wider IR theoretical context. I suggest that the contemporary global security environment can be conceptualized in terms of a global–urban security nexus. This nexus points, on the one hand, to a changing spatial dynamic of security where urban places and practices become increasingly imperative and, on the other hand, to a rescaling of state power where urban actors are becoming increasingly empowered. I suggest that the global–urban security nexus as a point of analytical departure is equally relevant to the more traditional, narrow understanding of security as it is to the broadened security agenda, and it captures contemporary spatial security dynamics as well as changing security governance, in terms of both involved actors and practices. I finally draw out an urban security research agenda for IR that puts focus on global and transboundary security problems and their urban facets, and offers a novel way forward for studying global security dynamics in terms of its urban spaces, agents, and practices.

Emotions in strategic leadership: A Literature review and theoretical modelling for future research directions

Abstract: The aim was to explore the existing literature on emotion and strategic leadership in a systematic review and to synthesize it into a theoretical model. A literature review on emotion in connection ...

Toward Strategic Cohesion: A Reply to King’s Criticism of the Call for a Broader View of Cohesion:

Abstract: In October 2018, Armed Forces & Society published a special issue that called for a theoretical and methodological broadening of the study of cohesion. In a response, King accuses me of ignoring hi...

Sharing Knowledge : How to Highlight Proven Experience in the Swedish Armed Forces

Abstract: It is generally maintained that learning should be a part of the daily routines of many organizations; this is often referred to as lesson learned processes. The purpose of organizational learning is to foster improvements that seek to both reduce incidents and accidents and reduce their consequences when they nevertheless happen. Safety work is widespread among many organizations, e.g. aviation, hospitals, process industry, fire departments and several armed forces. A considerable part of safety work involves accident prevention, and aims to investigate why and how previous accidents and incidents happened, in order to learn how to avoid them, or minimize losses when they do occur. The collection of information after incidents represents one of the first steps in a lessons learned process, and the result is crucial for further work. Unfortunately, incident reports often tend to be unfocused (they represent a very wide area of issues) and, for that reason, cannot be clustered. They also frequently lack by analysts required information. The overall research objective in this thesis was to develop a report structure that enables the individuals who participated in or observed an incident to provide more information that is relevant about that incident. The first research question seeks to identify whether the Swedish Armed Forces face the kinds of problems that have been identified in earlier research on attempts to learn from accidents and incidents. The second and third research questions aim to ascertain whether the scope and quality of collected information in incident reports can be improved and if the number of incident reports can be increased. The results agree with earlier research and show that many of the problems that are common in other organizations (e.g. aviation, hospitals and the process industry) can also be observed and are a reality within the SwAF. In addition, the results showed that both scope and quality of collected information can be influenced. Group reporting using a consensus process neither had an appreciable effect on the quality of collected information, nor on the quantity of the reports. On the other hand, the new reporting form, which was based on interview and questionnaire methodology, and to some extent witness psychology, significantly improved the quality of the information collected after incidents. The new form proved to be superior, regardless of the character and context of the incidents. The information collected was also in accordance with what had actually happened and, finally, the form proved to be useful when various military “real world” incidents were reported. Finally, the results also provide new insights into the problems and possibilities associated with acquiring useful incident reports. The problem seems not only to be that people may be unwilling to report incidents that they have participated in or witnessed; it is also that they may be unable to do so. Consequently, it may not be sufficient to change the culture of the organization into a learning culture to receive by analysts required information. It is also necessary to help people report what they actually know by means of an improved report structure.

Practicing mission command for future battlefield challenges: the case of the Swedish army

Abstract: As armies across Europe are currently developing capabilities to fight a high-intensity conventional war against a peer adversary, these armies will have to develop units that can fight independent...