Military Competence-in-Use in the Expeditionary Era: A Swedish Example From Missions Abroad

Abstract

In Swedish military policy, the concept of kompetens (competence) describes the skills and capability of military personnel. Furthermore, “competence-in-use,” a multidimensional conceptual tool, has been used for decades in Swedish military instruction and training without having ever been empirically proven. In this pilot study, designed as an exploratory case study, we will try to connect theory to practice by examining the actual situations in which military competence is used. This article has two aims: First, to examine the relevance of the concept of competence-in-use in Swedish military practice abroad, and second, to combine and evaluate two methods in an exploratory case study. To capture firsthand experiences of real combat situations, we selected a sample of 28 firsthand narratives from Swedish service members. Our mapping identifies the blurred transition between combat and noncombat situations. By way of conclusion, we suggest that our analysis tool is further tested, for example, in comparative studies between nations.

The Paintings Reveal the Story: Case Study of a Well-Known Swedish Artist Suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease

“…He would often tell short stories about them, for example, that they were either listening closely with their ear to the ground or screaming into the ground through a trunk or elongated snout— as if they were either unheard or unable to hear. The artist explained his recent foray into different subject matters and methods in a quote, written in January 1980, about his touring exhibition “Stenens Hjärta - Bilder av Peter Tillberg” [ 27 ]:…”

Rethinking Civil-Military Collaboration: A Relational Practice Approach to Total Defense in Sweden

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“…In the case of total defense, this context is usually related to formal regulation of certain agencies or sectors (e.g. Hatlebakk Hove et al Tillberg et al 2023) and not, for example, what constitutes "civil" and "military", including the drawing of boundaries. Field boundaries are recognized by Bourdieu (1996:225) who argues that "to define boundaries, defend them and control entries is to defend the established order in the field".…”

“…This can potentially be seen as a notion in previous research of "knowing the own agency's responsibility" (e.g. Tillberg et al 2023), although officials are not always bound to a particular agency. Instead of automatically treating boundaries as barriers that reinforce separation and must be overcome (e.g.…”

“…Kapucu & Ustun 2018) such as formal regulation of certain agencies or sectors(e.g. Hatlebakk Hove et al 2020;Tillberg et al 2023). In existing research, scholars often formulate the context on their concern in relation to a specific network structure (e.g McGuire & Agranoff 2011;Voets et al 2021).…”