The SES project
Research questions
The research will concentrate on questions that, taken together, aim to clarify how Sweden, in a European context, can optimally meet the challenges facing the country. This means, among other things, addressing the question of which challenges are of security policy importance for Europe and for Sweden and what direction Sweden should develop, also in terms of resources. The following research questions will be addressed:
- What security policy consequences will developments in Europe have for Sweden and how Should we cooperate with partners to best promote our own security and regional security?
- What military-strategic, operational and technical consequences does defense cooperation have in the European perspective and how can the Armed Forces, etc. be used to contribute to broader European security and how Should military units be used in the event of increased tension, crisis and war?
- With what means and methods should civil defense be developed, i.e. how Should the work continue?
Assignments for project management and sub-project managers
The project manager
Overall lead and complete the SES project.
Secretary
Support the project manager and be responsible for the project's administration and finances. Be a presenter at project management meetings and document these in minutes that are communicated to the project managers,
Scientific leader
Ensure that the project works based on accepted scientific principles and proven experience, and that conclusions, reports and books, etc. maintain a high scientific standard.
Information Officer
In collaboration with the project manager, editor and sub-project manager, be responsible for ensuring that the research results are continuously made known on the website and communicated to the Government Offices, the Defence Committee, relevant authorities and selected government and private actors. For publications in Handlingar and Tidskrift, the editor as responsible publisher has the final say on the text.
The editor
Coordinate all editorial work regarding books, writings, reports and texts intended to be published in the Proceedings and Journal produced in the project. Be responsible, in collaboration with the information manager, for ensuring that the academy's website continuously publicizes the project's activities (seminars, writings, books, abstracts, etc.).
Subproject Security Policy
Analyze and submit proposals regarding "The Defense of Europe and Sweden's Security Policy Contribution".
In light of the uncertain security policy situation, the sub-project is geared towards a sequence of thematic sub-reports, built on existing competencies within Department VI, rather than towards a single larger final product. The formats for reports are envisaged as thematic seminars, where appropriate involving invited members of the department, followed by reports in the academy's yellow magazine or in special booklets.
The purpose is to conduct an independent review of the current and forward-looking security policy discourse within European environments, capitals and organizations that are central to Swedish security, and to present independent (but politically relevant) recommendations on guidelines for Sweden's security policy contribution, as a basis for a realistic, wise and active foreign and defense policy.
The sub-project is implemented flexibly in relation to the public processes within foreign and defense policy, including the ability to submit early reports that can be used by the Defense Committee.
The subproject should be one step ahead of other research in the project.
In the latter part of the project's overall research, the Security Policy sub-project should include an analysis of the relevance and content of the national security strategy now adopted by the government. The analysis should result in a review of the aforementioned strategy and provide concrete proposals for changes or additions to it.
Subproject Art of War and Operations
Analyze and submit proposals based primarily on the subprojects Marks, Sjös, Lufts and Cybers' research on future warfare (operational art) at sea, in the air, on the ground and in cyberspace.
The analysis should describe the nature of modern war and conflict, including hybrid warfare, partly based on applying 19th and 20th century thought models to the 21st century social, economic and ideological patterns in a broad sense, and which can give rise to conflicts between, on the one hand, states and groups of states or, on the other hand, between such and more or less firmly organized groupings of non-state actors, partly after such analysis and examination how the said conflicts can be handled and solved based on developed thought models.
Advanced cyber warfare and other technological innovations have most likely led to a paradigm shift in the view of war and how warfare should be conducted. Describe such a new paradigm.
Within the framework of the sub-project, the sub-projects Land, Sea, Air and Cyber primarily coordinate their research so that a holistic view is created and that the requirements set by such a holistic view are consistent between different types of combat forces and weapons.
Subproject Land
Analyze and describe, within the framework of the sub-project groups Security Policy and War and Operations Art, how ground forces can be organized, including being recruited, trained, equipped, trained and fought. The emphasis in the analysis and description should be on how Ground forces should be utilized more than the number they should consist of. The latter follows from the fact that the overall mission should result in generic solutions for conflict management and the conduct of war.
The analysis and description will be carried out in close collaboration with the Air subproject regarding the implementation of the ground battle.
Subproject Lake
Analyze and describe, within the framework of the sub-project groups Security Policy and War and Operations Art, how naval forces can be organized, including being recruited, trained, equipped, trained and fought. The emphasis in the analysis and description should be on how naval forces should be utilized more than the number they should consist of. The latter follows from the fact that the overall mission should result in generic solutions for conflict management and the conduct of war.
The analysis and description will be carried out in close collaboration with the Air subproject regarding the implementation of the naval battle.
Subproject Air
Analyze and describe, within the framework of the sub-project groups Security Policy and War and Operations Art, how air forces can be organized, including being recruited, trained, equipped, trained and fought. The emphasis in the analysis and description should be on how Air combat forces should be utilized more than the number they should consist of. The latter follows from the fact that the overall mission should result in generic solutions for conflict management and the conduct of war.
Briefly analyze the importance of space in military contexts in a broad sense.
The analysis and description will be carried out in close collaboration with the Sea and Air subprojects regarding the implementation of land and sea combat.
Subproject Civil Defense
Analyze and describe, within the framework of the subproject group Security Policy, how the non-military parts of society should best support Swedish security policy both nationally and internationally. Furthermore, the subproject shall analyze and describe the support to society in a broad sense, and specifically to defense policy and the military parts of society. The analysis and description shall be carried out in close collaboration with the subprojects Land, Sea, Air and Cyber with regard to the needs for support in a broad sense.
Subproject Cyber
Analyze and describe, within the framework of the sub-project groups Security Policy and War and Operations Art, how cyber warfare can be designed, including how personnel and units should be recruited, trained, equipped, trained and fought. The emphasis in the analysis and description should be on how Cyber warfare should be utilized more than the amount of personnel and units should be. The latter follows from the fact that the overall mission should result in generic solutions for conflict management and the conduct of war.
The consequences of developments in the cyber area in a broad sense will be highlighted, primarily with regard to threats to one's own systems and operations on the one hand and Swedish opportunities to actively influence the corresponding systems and operations of an antagonistic actor on the other. Special attention will be paid to influence operations.
The analysis and description shall be carried out in close collaboration with the Land, Sea and Air subprojects with regard to the implementation of land, sea and air combat. Furthermore, the analysis and description shall be carried out in close collaboration with the Civil Defence subproject with regard to how public and private activities with fundamental significance for society shall be protected, especially with a bearing on avoiding system collapses for a shorter or longer period of time.
Subproject Defense Industry
Analyze and describe military-technical and defense-industrial consequences and opportunities.
Initially, the threat development and the possibilities of technological development within the framework of the sub-projects War and Operations Art, Land, Sea, Air and Cyber will be clarified and described. The space arena will also be highlighted in particular.
The competence needs for the defense industry operating in Sweden shall be clarified and described in collaboration with the subprojects land, sea, air, cyber and civil defense based on the structures reported in the KV 21 project.
The prerequisites for security of supply must be clarified and described based on needs/requirements for research and technological development (RTD), ongoing/planned defense industrial collaborations within the EU, the national agendas of various EU countries, Nordic cooperation and the transatlantic link.
