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Most previous research on state militias has been focused on their role in civil wars in the developing world, on the history of such organizations in for example Great Britain and Sweden, or on the American National Guard. The aim of this thesis is to examine how a state militia can be legitimized in a democratic state under different contexts in terms of geopolitics, as well as, prevalent mode of organization of the armed forces such as conscription and professional armed forces. It utilizes a content analysis on Swedish defense decisions during the 20

th and 21st century. It finds that the modes of legitimization seem to be tied to the perception of external threat, with the broadest foundations of legitimacy being found in such conditions. Furthermore, the key arguments used to legitimize the Home Guard is low cost, an increased capability of these forces, and that they are a key foundation for the will of the population to resist an attacker and as a link between the armed forces and the citizenry. These factors have been continuously stated throughout the examined period and point to the possibility that the government have not questioned the necessity of the organization and that it has been used as a way of mitigating cuts in spending on the armed forces. Thus, it has been legitimized instrumentally rather than for what the organization actually is, or is able to do.