New time, new battle - A study of the materiel supply strategy for the Swedish Armed Forces in a changed security environment

Authors:

  • Nima Khodabandeh
  • Peter Bäckström
  • Ulf Jonsson

Publish date: 2019-10-30

Report number: FOI-R--4790--SE

Pages: 23

Written in: Swedish

Keywords:

  • Materiel supply
  • Strategy
  • Swedish Armed Forces
  • Security of supply

Abstract

The materiel supply strategy for the Swedish Armed Forces was established in 2007. Since then the security environment has deteriorated in Sweden's vicinity, giving rise to a change in focal point from international missions towards territorial defence. This study examines how the change in the security environment has affected the expedience of the materiel supply strategy with regard to current prerequisites in order to identify the need for revisions. A set of semi-structured interviews was conducted with representatives from the Swedish Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence and the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration. In addition, the study has reviewed previous studies, from the Swedish Defence Research Agency as well as other government agencies, in order to provide a broader perspective for the analysis. The study concludes that there is a need for revising the current materiel supply strategy. The change in focal point from international missions towards territorial defence has, among other things, put a greater emphasis on security of supply for the Swedish Armed Forces. This aspect is not completely covered in the current strategy. Moreover, the current strategy does not provide guidance as to how desired objectives are to be prioritized or achieved.