A new report from the Civil Defence and Resilience Agency (MTFA) highlights serious deficiencies in the Swedish Armed Forces' and the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration's (FMV) procurement of marching boots. According to the agency, a lack of expertise and unclear processes have led to both equipment shortages and quality issues.
– It is important to emphasise that the areas we identify as crucial for procurement are highly interdependent and reliant on each other. It is about the Swedish Armed Forces, together with FMV, needing to develop working methods in an area that has been neglected – and which is now experiencing some growing pains, says Jens Lusua, analyst at MTFA.
The report "When Growing Pains Reach the Feet" describes how a lack of personal equipment forced the Swedish Armed Forces to cancel refresher exercises in 2023. To meet the needs, urgent procurements of the models Boot 90B and Boot 5.11 were carried out. However, both solutions have encountered problems. Boot 90B exhibited quality issues such as softening toe caps, while Boot 5.11 suffered delays due to inadequate documentation and was later criticised for not meeting standards in the field.
According to MTFA, a main reason is that the organisations have lost the knowledge of how to procure bulk materiel after years of cutbacks. Competence supply is described as critical, with staff turnover and vacancies in key roles such as Materiel Area Manager (MOA) having stalled processes.
The work on a new, long-term footwear system is delayed, and a decision is expected only in the summer of 2026. MTFA recommends that the authorities ensure redundant staffing in critical positions and develop clearer collaboration to avoid future bottlenecks.