Since the beginning of the 20th century air power has been seen as an offensive instrument in warfare. During the Cold War, Sweden had one of the largest air forces in the world despite a clearly defensive strategy. Today's Swedish Air Force has been reformed since the Cold War and there are uncertainties about how this has changed the use of air power.
The purpose of this study is to investigate what changes occurred in the Swedish Air Force related to offensive and defensive use of air power. This is illustrated by examining and comparing the use of air power in the Air Force during the Cold War and today. The study is based on the theories of air power and illustrates the use of air power from multiple perspectives in order to provide as broad picture of the Air Force as possible.
The results demonstrate that a change has occurred where air forces moved more towards working together with other forces over a broader range of applications than during the Cold War.