Abstract of Patrik Ahlgren's and Ethel Pettersson's article in RSAWSPJ no 1 2001.
The need for a national military strategic and a joint operations doctrine has been identified, within the Swedish Armed Forces, and has resulted in doctrine developing processes. The purpose of the doctrines is to provide the Armed Forces with a common philosophy, a common nomenclature, co-ordinated working processes and a common goal, without limiting individual initiative. During the autumn of 2000, the doctrine processes were initiated, and the plan is to be finished at the turn of the year 2002/2003.The aim of this article is to inform about the military strategic doctrine developing process.
From a Swedish Armed Forces perspective, a doctrine is: "A formal expression of the knowledge and conceptions which constitute the most important fundamental principles as regards the activities within the Armed Forces. A doctrine should provide understanding and guidance."
The aim of the Military strategic doctrine is to establish an understanding and a guidance on how military means could be used in preventing and limiting a conflict as well as protecting Sweden's territory and her citizens against an aggressor. In addition, the doctrine should establish an understanding of political aims and of the legal aspects of engagement and of the interoperability and the principles that guide the use of military means in crisis management. The doctrine should also describe the relation between the political, the military strategic and operational levels.
Swedish participation in multinational operations within the framework of UN, NATO, and European crisis management also presupposes that the doctrine corresponds with other Western European doctrines on the same level.
The military strategic doctrine should be regarded as the accumulated knowledge within the entire Armed Forces, put together in a document which should provide guidance on how to use military means to reach political strategic goals.