The Swedish Presence in Afghanistan: Security and Defence Transformation

213 Pages·2016·6.29 MB·English

by  Arita Holmberg, Jan Hallenberg

i

The Swedish Presence in Afghanistan
This book delivers on two analytical levels. First, it is a broad study of Sweden
as an international actor, an actor that at least for a brief period tried to play
a different international role than that to which it was accustomed. Second,
the book problematizes the role of international military missions as drivers
for change in the security and defence feld. Several perspectives and levels
of analysis are covered, from the macro level of strategic discourse to the
micro level of the experiences of individual commanders. The book focuses
upon Sweden and its participation in the international military mission
in Afghanistan during 2002–12. It contributes to the growing literature
evaluating the mission in Afghanistan and explores the implications of the
security and defence practices that have dominated Western Europe for the
last decade.
Arita Holmberg is Associate Professor in Political Science at the Department
of Security, Strategy and Leadership at the Swedish Defence University,
Sweden.
Jan Hallenberg is Professor in Political Science at the Department of Security,
Strategy and Leadership at the Swedish Defence University, Sweden.
ii

Military Strategy and Operational Art
Edited by Professor Howard M. Hensel,
Air War College, USA
The Routledge Series on Military Strategy and Operational Art analyzes and
assesses the synergistic interrelationship between joint and combined military
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Also in this series:
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Italian Armed Forces in World War I
Comparative Perspective The Unexpected
Adapt, Improvise, Overcome? Armageddon
Fabrizio Coticchia and Francesco N. Moro Hall Gardner
ISBN 978 1 4724 2751 9 ISBN 978 1 4724 3056 4
The Powell Doctrine and US Air Power in UN
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Luke Middup Wings for Peace
ISBN 978 1 4724 2565 2 Edited by A. Walter Dorn
ISBN 978 1 4724 3546 0
Inside Cambodian Insurgency
A Sociological Perspective on Civil
Wars and Confict
Daniel Bultmann
ISBN 978 1 4724 4305 2
iii
The Swedish Presence
in Afghanistan
Security and Defence Transformation
Edited by
Arita Holmberg and Jan Hallenberg
iv
First published 2017
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2017 selection and editorial material, Arita Holmberg and Jan Hallenberg;
individual chapters, the contributors.
The right of the editors to be identifed as the authors of the editorial material,
and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance
with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised

in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or
hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identifcation and explanation without intent
to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data
Names: Holmberg, Arita, editor. | Hallenberg, Jan, editor.
Title: The Swedish presence in Afghanistan : security and defence transformation /
edited by Arita Holmberg and Jan Hallenberg.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY : Routledge, 2017. |
Includes index. Identifers: LCCN 2016004282 |
ISBN 9781472474094 (hardback) | ISBN 9781315552415 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Afghan War, 2001–Participation, Swedish. |
Sweden–Military policy. Classifcation: LCC DS371.412.S94 2017 |
DDC 958.104/7409485–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016004282
ISBN: 978-1-4724-7409-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-55241-5 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Out of House Publishing
v

Contents

List of fgures vii

List of tables viii

Notes on contributors ix

1 Introduction 1
ARITA HOLMBERG AND JAN HALLENBERG

2 Conceptual framework 19
ARITA HOLMBERG AND JAN HALLENBERG
3 Swedish strategy and the Afghan experience:

from neutrality to ambiguity 31
JAN ANGSTROM AND ERIK NOREEN
4 Swedish use of force and the international legal framework:

the legacy of Afghanistan 55
INGER OSTERDAHL
5 MOTs, Juliette and omelettes: temporary tactical
adaptations as the postmodern, interoperable force awaits the

anticipated operation? 78
MAGNUS JOHNSSON
6 Military–technological aspects of the Swedish mission

to Afghanistan 100
AKE SIVERTUN
vi
vi Contents
7 Leadership lessons: new challenges for smaller nations in

multinational, highly stressful missions 116
GERRY LARSSON, AIDA ALVINIUS, MARIA FORS BRANDEBO,
PEDER HYLLENGREN, SOFIA NILSSON AND ALICIA OHLSSON
8 Introducing gender perspectives in operations:

Afghanistan as a catalyst 138
ROBERT EGNELL
9 A veteran at last: the Afghan experience and

Swedish veterans policy 160
RALPH SUNDBERG

10 Conclusions 182
ARITA HOLMBERG AND JAN HALLENBERG

Index 196
vii

List of fgures

3.1 The Swedish catch-all narrative 38
3.2 The number of Swedish offcers appointed at NATO
Training Mission in Afghanistan (NTM-A), Headquarters
Joint Command (HQ IJC) and Headquarters ISAF (HQ

ISAF), 2005–12 43
3.3 Number of Swedish offcers serving in NATO or EU staffs

outside the immediate theatre of operations 44
5.1 The relationship between place of origin and place of

realization in military change 80

7.1 Theoretical model of leadership 118

7.2 Examples of collaborating actors 129
viii

List of tables

5.1 Analytical scheme 84
7.1 Specifc individual aspects of importance to military

offcers at the strategic level 121
7.2 Specifc organizational aspects of importance to military

offcers at the strategic level 123
7.3 Specifc group aspects of importance to military Offcers

at the strategic level 124
7.4 Collaboration actors and key leadership behaviours for

military offcers at the strategic level 130
ix

Notes on contributors
Aida Alvinius (Ph.D., Karlstad University, Sweden) is a researcher in Sociology
at the Department of Security, Strategy and Leadership, Swedish Defence
University.
Jan Angstrom (Ph.D., King’s College, London) is Professor in War Studies
at the Department of Security, Strategy and Leadership, Swedish Defence
University.
Maria Fors Brandebo (Ph.D., Karlstad University, Sweden) is a researcher at
the Department of Security, Strategy and Leadership, Swedish Defence
University.
Robert Egnell (Ph.D., King’s College, London) is Professor of Leadership at
the Department of Security, Strategy and Leadership, Swedish Defence
University.
Jan Hallenberg (Ph.D., Stockholm University, Sweden) is Professor in
Political Science at the Department of Security, Strategy and Leadership,
Swedish Defence University.
Arita Holmberg (Ph.D., Stockholm University, Sweden) is Associate Professor
in Political Science at the Department of Security, Strategy and Leadership,
Swedish Defence University.
Peder Hyllengren (M.A., Karlstad University, Sweden) is a university adjunct
at the Department of Security, Strategy and Leadership, Swedish Defence
University.
Magnus Johnsson (Ph.D. Candidate, Uppsala University, Sweden) is a
researcher in War Studies at the Department of Security, Strategy and
Leadership, Swedish Defence University.
Gerry Larsson (Ph.D., Gothenburg University, Sweden) is Professor of
Leadership Psychology at the Department of Security, Strategy and
Leadership, Swedish Defence University. He also holds an adjunct profes-
sor position at the Hedmark University College, Norway.