Throughout history, research on sea power has mainly focused on naval superpowers with global reach, but the application of sea power is still relevant for coastal states without means or ambitions to rule the high seas. In 1994, Norwegian Fleet Admiral Jacob Børresen met the need of a post-Cold War theory of sea power usage for smaller navies by publishing the article The Seapower of the Coastal State. As Sweden qualifies for the definition of a coastal state and could gain from optimizing its sea denial abilities, the aim of this study is to validate the relevance of Børresen’s theory for the Swedish Navy of tomorrow.
Using a qualitative text research method, this study compares and contrasts Børresen’s theory with the Swedish and Norwegian military advice study, to find to what extent the naval strategy of the two coastal states aligns with the functions that the coastal navy, according to Børresen, must be able to perform in times of war. The results show alignment to a large extent, with coastal artillery and the utilization of territorial awareness being the main exceptions. In conclusion, this theory holds an obvious relevance for present studies of sea denial and deterrence.