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Purpose:

Sweden’s accession to NATO on 7th March 2024, amid heightened regional threats and hybrid security challenges, underscores the growing importance of civil–military collaboration in strengthening total defense and comprehensive emergency preparedness. This study evaluates whether an enhanced constructive alignment model, integrating context support from Edmondson’s team learning theory, can offer a systematic and pedagogically grounded framework for analyzing and improving civil–military collaboration exercises.

Design/methodology/approach:

A qualitative case study was conducted during a civil–military exercise at a Swedish air base in June 2024. Data from participant observations were analyzed using the enhanced constructive alignment model, focusing on the alignment of intended learning outcomes, teaching and learning activities, task assessment and context support.

Findings:

The model effectively guided the design and evaluation of the exercise. Stronger alignment and contextual support improved learning. Key success factors included clear objectives, structured leadership, legal expertise and a shared decision-making method.

Research limitations/implications:

The absence of formal task assessment limits quantitative evaluation. Sole reliance on observation may restrict insight into individual experiences. Future studies should incorporate interviews.Practical implicationsThe model offers a pedagogical structure for designing civil–military exercises. It supports readiness through coherent teams, legal integration and structured decision-making, suitable for complex emergency scenarios.

Social implications:

Improved civil–military collaboration strengthens societal resilience and democratic legitimacy in crisis response. The model contributes to greater public trust and equity in managing emergencies.Originality/valueThis study presents a pedagogical framework linking learning theory and contextual support, with practical relevance for education in emergency management.

This article explores and theorizes an aspect of war in the 2020s that has not previously been recognized in social science literature: The practice of soldiers freezing their semen before joining the military. The security–demography nexus has been studied mainly as a state concern—whether a state should limit or expand its population depending on different factors. In this context, women have been the main targets of biopolitical reproduction efforts. However, societal and political shifts, coupled with advancements in reproductive technology that enhance accessibility, necessitate a re-evaluation of the gendered dynamics within the security–demography relationship. The war between Russia and Ukraine represents an unusual example of two industrialized states involved in an interstate war. The practice of soldiers freezing their semen constitutes a new masculinization of the security–demography nexus. We argue that the theoretical concept of reproductive insurance implies a form of self-governance that can manage shifting masculinities in ways that allow the male individual to protect the capacity to have children before risking life on the battlefield. The shifting gender dynamic of the security–demography nexusmeans that Western militaries may have to adapt their policies and offerreproductive insurance to both women and men within their ranks.

In contrast to an acute crisis that must be dealt with immediately, the handling of low-intensity crisis such as pandemics, cyber threats, climate crisis, increased resistance to antibiotics, etc. can often wait. However, it cannot wait too long because then the cost can be detrimental. The aim was to systematically review and evaluate the research on leadership and management at the organizational level in low-intensity crisis. A scoping review was performed which was limited to peer-review based articles, focusing on leadership and management at the organizational level. The analysis consisted of an explorative, inductive thematic analysis. Codes were identified in the texts and formed the basis of categories, which, in turn, were grouped into themes. The following four themes emerged in the analysis of the obtained literature: (1) general framing conditions; (2) predominantly management-related aspects; (3) predominantly leadership-related aspects; and (4) predominantly subordinate-related aspects. Most aspects found can be related to general leadership and management research and studies on short-term, acute crisis. A key finding was that few peer-reviewed articles were found, confirming that leadership and management in low-intensity crisis is an under-researched area. Given the challenges of ongoing and expected low-intensity crisis, more research focusing specifically on this kind of leadership and management is needed.

In the aftermath of the Cold War, Sweden experienced the rise of a doctrine advocating perpetual peace. This led to significant reductions in the country's military defense capabilities and the complete dismantling of its civil defense infrastructure. However, events such as the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008 and the annexation of Crimea in 2014 prompted Sweden to reassess its security situation in 2015. Consequently, Sweden initiated the process of rebuilding what is referred to as total defense, which involves close collaboration between civilian and military defense entities. A crucial component of this rebuilding effort has been the conduct of various exercises aimed at fostering cooperation between these two sectors. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of these exercises in promoting team learning, thereby enhancing the capacity for effective civil-military collaboration. Data for this research was gathered through participant observation during seven exercises, and was subsequently analyzed using the Edmondson team learning model. The findings indicate that the team learning model demonstrates effectiveness. However, notable deficiencies were observed in terms of context support and the prevalence of defensive routines, highlighting areas for improvement in civil-military collaboration.

Background

The Russo-Ukrainian War has profoundly affected healthcare systems, with children among the most vulnerable. Disruptions to essential services and care provision pose serious risks to child health and well-being. Understanding these impacts is critical to developing effective interventions and guiding research and policy. This scoping review examines paediatric health impacts during the Russo-Ukrainian War’s first two years and identifies gaps in the evidence base.

Methods

A PubMed search was conducted and supplemented with grey literature from WHO and UNICEF. Articles were included if they addressed children and focused on health-related impacts of the war. Eligible studies were required to be in English and published after the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. Exclusion criteria included articles unrelated to children, non-health topics, or geographically irrelevant studies. Data were synthesised thematically across key areas, including healthcare access, mental health, and chronic diseases. Risk of bias was assessed qualitatively.

Results

Of 559 articles retrieved, 102 met the inclusion criteria. These included original research, reviews, letters, commentaries, and other relevant publications. The review found widespread disruptions in access to essential services and healthcare. It also identified significant impacts on injury and trauma care, chronic conditions, and infectious diseases. Challenges for displaced children and host countries were also frequently reported.

Conclusions

Findings highlight the war’s broad and complex impact on paediatric health and underscore the need for targeted responses. Addressing critical gaps in empirical research is essential to inform effective health policies and interventions.

The study examines Sweden’s strategy for total defense, emphasizing inter-sectoral collaboration at the regional level. Specifically, it aims to identify potential challenges in such collaboration, leading to the following overarching research question: What are the principal challenges linked to cross-sector collaboration within Sweden’s total defense strategy at the regional level. The study is based on interviews and observations from various collaborative exercises. Six participants from different organizations specializing in total defense collaboration were interviewed. In addition to interviews, six observations were conducted during different collaborative exercises, each resulting in field notes forming the basis for analysis. Data collection took place between August 2022 and October 2023. The analysis of collected data identifies three overarching themes – inability, unwillingness, and lack of synchronization – depicting the challenges of collaboration in total defense. These themes intertwine and construct a complex situation, described as “a colossus on clay feet,” referring to various mechanisms of inertia in civil-military collaboration. The study concludes that the identified themes pose significant theoretical challenges, suggesting inherent vulnerabilities in the concept that may impede its effectiveness, with the most concerning aspect being the inability to address fundamental problems even amidst increased resources and determination, necessitating a focused research direction to tackle these dilemmas.