Ny artikel i Armed Forces & Society

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

(published in Armed Forces & Society, September 8, 2022)

Authors: Lotta Victor Tillberg, Matti Kaulio, Peter Tillberg and John Haglund

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.

Download link:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0095327X221118928

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Ny intressant artikel i Military Psychology!

A question of time? Deployments, dwell time, and work-life balance for military personnel in Scandinavia
(published in Military Psychology, 22 june 2022)

Joakim Berndtsson & Johan Österberg

ABSTRACT
In recent years, interest in the different ways in which military employment affects individuals’ work-life balance (WLB) has grown. At the same time, research on military organizations and personnel has increasingly included time-related factors such as deploy-to-dwell (D2D) ratios to help explain adverse health effects of overseas deployments. The aim of this article is to explore connections between organizational systems for regulating deployment frequency and dwell (or respite) time with a particular focus on potential consequences for work-life balance. We focus on personal and organizational factors that shape the nature and outcome of work-life balance, including stress, mental health problems, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions. To explore these links, we first provide an overview of research on the impact of deploy-to-dwell ratios on mental health and social relations. We then turn to the regulation and organization of deployment and dwell time in Scandinavia. Here, the ambition is to identify potential sources of work-life conflict and associated effects for deployed personnel. The results provide a basis for further research into time-related effects of military deployments.

Hultqvistdoktrinens uppgång och fall? Svensk försvarsopinion i en osäker tid

Författare: Karl Ydén, Ulf Bjereld och Joakim Berndtsson

Sammanfattning
Sverige har sedan 2014 radikalt omvärderat Rysslands intentioner och utveckling. Det råder partipolitisk enighet om att det svenska försvaret behöver ökade resurser. Överlag visar resultaten från hösten 2021 på ett starkt opinionsstöd för den förda försvarspolitiken, ibland benämnd ”Hultqvistdoktrinen”, med fokus på försvar av Sverige, värnplikt, upprustning och ett nära samarbete med Nato utan medlemskap. Svenskarnas stöd för ett starkt militärt försvar är fortsatt starkt liksom viljan att bibehålla eller höja nivån på försvarsutgifterna. Svenskarnas förtroende för försvaret fortsätter en positiv långtidstrend, trots att en majoritet inte tror att försvaret skulle klara av att försvara Sverige mot ett väpnat angrepp. En majoritet av svenskarna tror även att effekter av klimatförändringar ökar risken för konflikt mellan länder.

Artikeln är ett kapitel i den nationella SOM-undersökningens antologi Du sköra nya värld (publicerad 2022-06-22). Boken bygger på underlag från opinionsundersökningen som genomfördes 2021.