Logotyp: till Försvarshögskolans hemsida

The usage of railways in war played a great part in Europe during the late nineteenth century. The railways made it possible to effectively transport personnel and resources from the coast to the hinterland. The neglection of the Swedish railway system in recent military regulations tells us that this means of transportation might not be as relevant as it was during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.

The purpose of this study is to examine what the logistical success factors will be for the utilization of the Swedish railway system in a national war. This study will also attempt to present the possibilities and limitations of the Swedish railway system in a national war. Moshe Kress theory about seven structural and operational properties that an operational logistic system must fulfill, will be used in this study to examine how well the Swedish railways system can fulfill Kress properties.

The results show that the Swedish railway system fulfilled four out of the seven properties. The main conclusion is that the system partly has the ability, as a logistical resource, to provide Swedish military personnel and units in the event of a national war.