Defence

Big Picture

Sitting down with the Swedes

Brigadier General Fjellner

Brigadier General Fjellner joined the Swedish Air Force in 1973 and trained as a fighter pilot. During his career he has logged over 2000 flying hours in combat aircraft, and has held a range of operational command and staff appointments. Brigadier General Fjellner is a graduate of the Royal College of Defence Studies, United Kingdom. He has recently taken up the position of Vice President of Sweden's National Defence College.

What do you see as the major defence and security challenges for Sweden in the post-Cold War environment?

The threats that Sweden now faces are more complex, less predictable and are not confined to the military domain. Our modern, highly technological society is vulnerable and could be struck hard by events such as information technology sabotage, natural disasters, ethnic conflict and nuclear accidents. These threats and challenges come from regional conflicts, the break-up of states and unions, organised crime, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism.

The post Cold War security environment is one of increasingly open borders in which the internal and external aspects of security are insolubly linked and thus an isolated, large-scale aggression against any individual state in Western Europe is now improbable. Instead, the character of our open society constitutes the common vulnerability of Sweden and other Member States of the European Union.

The development of a common European security and defence policy, including the European Security Strategy, is changing the prerequisites of Sweden's own defence policy. Swedish security policy aims to:

• preserve peace and national independence,
• promote stability and security in our immediate vicinity,
• strengthen international peace and security.

Image provided by Swedish Defence Force

Sweden is a small, prosperous and relatively secure country. Is it difficult to persuade the Swedish people to take an interest in their national defence? What do young people think about a career in the Armed Forces?

Based on comprehensive annual polls there is a trend of declining interest in security and defence issues. However, a clear majority supports an increase in Sweden's contributions to international military operations.

Sweden has a long tradition of integrating voluntary defence organisations into the total defence concept and the willingness for volunteers to contribute, in uniform or as civilians, has been impressive. However, as a consequence of force reductions, the opportunity to benefit from these efforts is diminishing.

The ability to recruit has always been dependent on macro-economic cycles. In booming economic times it has proven more challenging to retain commissioned officers and meet recruiting targets. In the past, the clear-cut objective of a defence force geared against invasion served as a major attraction for young candidates. Although a career as an officer has lost some value in the eyes of the potential recruits nowadays, it would seem that participation in international military operations has significant appeal.

What priority does Defence expenditure receive in Government planning?

Military defence is a key resource in an active Swedish foreign and security policy, aimed at peaceful and sustainable development in the world through the promotion of democracy, human rights and social justice. However, as is the case in most of Europe, there is a sentiment to look at opportunities for reducing the size of the armed forces, which in turn means we can decrease the number of units, schools and centres. Despite the reduced defence expenditure, Sweden aims to increase participation in international operations. Also, the ratio of Research & Development (R&D) and procurement will remain high by international standards.

It seems that Sweden was able to make a quick transition from the Cold War to the realities of the new security environment. Why do you think this was the case?

Despite our close cooperation in security and defence policy within the European Union, Sweden remains militarily non-aligned. Like few other Western European countries, we had to rely on our own ability to adapt to the new security environment. Being a relatively small country, transformation was less of a challenge.

Other important factors that contributed to our early response include a robust intelligence service that facilitated understanding the security situation in our region. Close collaboration with civilian agencies ensures multi-faceted analysis and viable defence options. Furthermore Sweden has a long tradition of prioritising procurement and R&D.

In all small defence forces resources are at a premium. Can you say a few words about the Swedish Defence Force's approach to 'jointness' in the way you conduct your business?

Our approach for improvement of 'jointness' puts emphasis on officer training. Fostering 'jointness' requires cultivation throughout the career. As a consequence, inter-service training starts with basic officer training, prior to commissioning. By the time senior level staff training is reached, a set of shared values has been adopted and can be built on further. Also, when preparing forces and during operations, our focus is on capabilities and effects rather than force structures or service origin.

Sweden is relatively advanced in the area of 'network-centric warfare'. Did you make a conscious decision to go down this path?

From an historical point of view, the contingency that Sweden prepared itself against was invasion by a numerically superior enemy. Thus theories of indirect approach and manoeuvre warfare appealed to the Swedish Armed Forces. As information technology emerged as a viable option to facilitate military defence capabilities, it was embraced in Sweden. Of course, having a modern domestic defence industry facilitated the transition. But there were several other factors of importance. Some functions of the armed forces already had a long tradition of relying on state of the art technology. For instance the Swedish real-time data-link transmission between fighters was decades ahead of any other country in the world. From a political perspective utilising force multipliers opened up new avenues for increases in efficiency, thus allowing cuts in defence expenditure while maintaining sufficient capabilities.

The current development of the Armed Forces towards network-based defence (NBD) is a conscious decision to transform the armed forces from an invasion-based concept to flexible operational defence. A network-based defence concept will have a greater operational effect by allowing us to assemble units based on the specific requirements of each situation. This leads to a high level of precision and allows for the right action to be taken in different crisis situations.

In Afghanistan.
Image provided by Swedish Defence Force

Has the so-called 'war on terror' had much of an impact on the conduct of Swedish defence planning?

Countering terrorism within our national boundaries is the responsibility of Police Authorities. If required, the Armed Forces may support their missions. As a consequence, no resources or capabilities have been designated to meet terrorist threats. However, existing legislation is being reconsidered and the role of the Armed Forces could change subject to Government direction.

Is a credible Swedish Defence force important to support Sweden's strong defence industry capability?

It is important to acknowledge the symbiotic relationship between the Armed Forces, other defence related authorities and commercial industry and research based in Sweden. Only when a common focus is established can substantial synergies be achieved. Niche-areas represent the first step towards strengthening Sweden's position in this field. Currently the focus is on:

• network-based command and control systems;
• aircraft;
• combat vehicle systems;
• short-range combat systems; and
• telecommunication systems.

These areas also include inter-functional sensor and data fusion, as well as signature, protection and system design.

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