Defence capability is no longer to be developed in one phase and used in another. In an interview with Nordic Defence Sector, Supreme Commander Michael Claesson describes how the Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten) are increasingly building capability by developing units, methods, and materiel during ongoing operations.
HMS Carlskrona is moored in the harbour of Visby (on Gotland, the strategically important Swedish island in the Baltic Sea). During Almedalen Week, the naval vessel serves as the Swedish Armed Forces' floating base, meeting point, and accommodation. It is here, shortly after Supreme Commander Michael Claesson has delivered his lecture The Defence of Sweden and Our Allies, that Nordic Defence Sector's CEO Anton Thynell takes a seat on the bridge wing for a conversation.
The questions concern the practical and the seemingly bureaucratic: procurement and regulations. But also the human dimension, specifically how private employers can support employees who serve as reserve officers or in the Home Guard (Hemvärnet). And regardless of the topic, Claesson returns to the same principle: that Swedish defence capability is best developed in motion, during ongoing operations rather than in separate phases.
What has Sweden learned from participating in NATO's Forward Land Forces (FLF) in Latvia and from now establishing and leading an equivalent force in Finland?
– Perhaps the most important insight is that there is no correlation between being deployed in the way the 71st Battalion has been and any loss of capability, says Michael Claesson. They have demonstrated that a unit can raise its combat effectiveness as a war-fighting formation while simultaneously being deployed in this type of force constellation.
He sees the same logic applying going forward, into the growing Swedish commitment in Finland.
– We truly intend to take the development mission one step further. Developing while underway, using the units held at readiness also to develop capability.
The same reasoning recurs when the conversation turns to industry. How can defence companies and contractors best reach end users in order to receive feedback already during product development?
– I believe we need to continue developing the way we procure services. I tend to call it development procurement, says Claesson.
He points to the more complex areas, such as the aviation industry, where the Swedish Armed Forces work closely with companies around what is defined as an essential security interest (VSI, väsentligt säkerhetsintresse), a form of cooperation that also opens the door to direct procurement.
– That approach I regard as absolutely necessary if we are to work iteratively and stay ahead of the adversary.
The principle, he argues, should be applicable more broadly, including to smaller actors. Other examples where the Swedish Armed Forces work in close integration include counter-IED (Improvised Explosive Device) operations and electronic warfare, with working methods that succeed in staying ahead of the threat picture.
Friction in regulatory frameworks is a recurring issue for companies in the sector. What concrete regulatory simplifications have you personally observed?
– I can give a few examples, large and small, says Claesson.
He mentions the environmental area, where various permit processes have been advanced in terms of complexity and procedural structure. Recently, the regulation governing the qualifications required to serve as a driving instructor for vehicle licences within the Swedish Armed Forces was also amended, a requirement that had previously limited the number of vehicle instructors for certain vehicle systems. Together with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV, Försvarets materielverk), continuous work is also under way to reduce the number of process steps in materiel orders.
– Three rather different examples of where things are actually happening.
A final question concerns the people behind the capability. How can private employers best support the Swedish Armed Forces when their employees also serve in the Home Guard or as reserve officers?
– The most important thing one can do is to have a qualitative dialogue with employees who have an interest in defence, in order to find pragmatic solutions, says Claesson.
He is equally clear that the conditions vary considerably. A two-person company can hardly afford to be without a key competence, whereas larger companies can offer salary compensation and more tangible measures.
– There must be a whole spectrum of different measures. One size doesn't fit all.