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Praktiska pedagogiska redskap är en central del i utbildningen av officerare. Detta är ett område där det finns en lång tradition, både på Försvarshögskolan och inom Försvarsmakten mer generellt. Detta är också ett område där Försvarshögskolan alltid har varit framträdande. Denna handbok riktar in sig på ett av dessa pedagogiska redskap: fältövningar.Denna handbok är uppdelad i fyra modulära delar. Del I redogör för fältövningen som fenomen och pedagogisk metod, och beskriver hur historiska exempel kan utforskas och användas för lärande. Den innehåller även en historisk bakgrund och en genomgång av hur fältövningar har tillämpats vid Försvarshögskolan. Del II behandlar den pedagogiska ansatsen, inklusive principer för konstruktiv länkning, formulering av lärandemål och handledning i fält. Del III fokuserar på förberedelse och planering, såsom roller och ansvar, rekognosering, säkerhet och deltagarförberedelser. Del IV beskriver genomförandet av en fältövning, från traditionellt upplägg till hybridmodellen, samt hur krigsspel kan integreras i övningen.

Practical pedagogical tools constitute a central component of officer education. This is an area with a long and well-established tradition, both at the Swedish Defence University and within the Swedish Armed Forces more broadly. It is also an area in which the Swedish Defence University has consistently played a prominent role. This handbook focuses on one of these pedagogical tools: staff rides.The handbook is organised into four modular parts. Part I presents the field exercise as a phenomenon and as a pedagogical method, and describes how historical cases can be explored and used for learning. It also provides a historical background and an overview of how field exercises have been applied at the Swedish Defence University. Part II addresses the pedagogical approach, including principles of constructive alignment, the formulation of learning objectives, and field instruction. Part III focuses on preparation and planning, including roles and responsibilities, reconnaissance, safety, and participant preparation. Part IV describes the execution of a field exercise, ranging from traditional formats to the hybrid model, and explains how wargaming can be integrated into the exercise.

An army division's operational capability is uniquely positioned to execute decisive actionson the battlefield. Its capabilities encompass the command and coordination of combinedarms, intelligence, and logistics which are essential for achieving success on the battlefield.Moreover, the coordination of a division's units is conducted within an operational contextthat involves other combat forces. However, is the organisation, training, and developmentof the Swedish Army Division to lead and coordinate battle today of essential importance,or should it be the brigade that achieves decisive outcomes on the battlefield? The divisionleads and coordinates its units and their effects in the complex environment of the modernbattlefield. Ideally, effective division-leve! command should facilitate decisive actions, ensuringvictory in the various duels of the battle. Ultimately, the division's capacity to optimiseconditions for its brigades is a critical prerequisite for winning the battle.

A specific set of challenges facing the intelligence community in a contemporary environment is characterized by composite and dynamic hybrid threats. An understanding of the reciprocal interaction is required between the intelligence actors responsible for intelligence analysis and dissemination, and key societal actors responsible for crafting responses to hybrid threats and building societal resilience. Three processes are identified as critical for the intelligence community’s ability to proactively counter hybrid threats: intelligence analysis; aggregation and communication of intelligence; and reception and absorption of intelligence among key societal actors. The interconnections between these areas are visualized in the Intelligence Analysis Interaction Model, intending to provide a framework for understanding the dynamics of hybrid threats and their evolution over time, and the intelligence community’s interactive engagement with societal actors aiming to counter hybrid threats and build resilience. The framework contributes to improved tools for identifying and analyzing the nexus between threats and vulnerabilities, building resilience, and devising whole-of-society responses to hybrid threats.

Russia’s war against Ukraine and intensifying rivalry among the world’s great powers have increased Central Asian states’ vulnerability to psychological and economic coercion. Yet most studies of resilience and national defence focus on Western liberal democracies. This article examines how Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, two post-colonial Central Asian states, are developing resilience and psychological defences amid competing external pressures. The authors argue that these countries’ approach is best understood as ‘resilience by design’: a sovereignty-first strategy that combines state-led domestic control, regional coordination and diversified external partnerships. Together, these layers expand the countries’ room for strategic manoeuvre while protecting sovereignty, regime stability and national identity.

Russia’s war in Ukraine represents a watershed moment in the evolution of modern warfare, challenging long-held assumptions about how wars are fought, sustained, perceived, and theorized in the twenty-first century. It has become not only a defining conflict of our time but also a prism through which the dynamics of modern and future warfare can be understood. This volume offers the most comprehensive analysis to date of the war and its implications for current and future understandings of warfare. It brings together leading scholars and practitioners to illuminate the theory and practice of war in light of the conflict. Chapters in the first part examine themes across critical dimensions of modern warfare, including warfighting domains, manoeuvre warfare, command and control, urban warfare, military health services and logistics. The second part explores organization, technology, and training, with chapters examining experiences in force generation, intelligence collection and sharing, and the integration of new technologies, particularly the rapid evolution and employment of unmanned aerial vehicles. Finally, the volume provides a chronological set of five case studies, tracing the impact of critical phases of Russia’s war in Ukraine from 2014 to 2025.

This introductory chapter frames Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a watershed for understanding modern warfare, arguing that the conflict both tests and advances military theory. It contends that contemporary war is inherently multi-domain—spanning land, air, maritime, space, cyberspace, and the information environment—so analysis must be systemic and holistic. The editors revisit and extend earlier work through two organizing models: a conflict-intensity/operations continuum that cautions against planning solely for worst-case, high-intensity scenarios, and a ‘versatility’ model that links adaptability and flexibility to seven factors (doctrine/TTPs (tactics, techniques, and procedures), technology, interoperability, cross-domain ability, identity/culture, education, training). The volume blends theory with case studies from 2014 to March 2025 and contributions from scholars and practitioners, deriving lessons on command, logistics, health services, and air-maritime dynamics to guide force design, doctrine, and integration across domains.

AbstractThis chapter concludes the volume by summarizing important observations across its three thematic parts. In relation to Dimensions of Modern Warfare, experiences from the war offer perspectives on modes of fighting in traditional domains versus the realities of battle. The land-centric war in Ukraine also offers important observations from the maritime and air domains. In terms of Organization, Technology, and Training; the long duration of the war has raised important issues regarding the sustainability and endurance of modern militaries, including challenges of maintaining a steady supply of manpower, munitions, and equipment in a context of intensive, protracted, and attritional fighting. The Case Studies section shows how the war has undergone a sequence of phases in which different characteristics of the fighting have been predominant. The chapter also relates these observations to the conceptual models introduced in Chapter 1 of this volume: the continuum of military operations in relation to the intensity of conflict and the versatility of military forces.

The chapter explores how Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has reshaped understandings of urban warfare. Drawing on battles in Kyiv, Mariupol, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Sudzha, it shows that fighting in cities remains unavoidable. The authors argue that urban operations intensify every dimension of war: logistics, intelligence, civilian protection, and multi-domain coordination. Technology such as drones, artificial intelligence (AI), and precision weapons changes tactics but not the enduring chaos of dense terrain and human presence. Western militaries, constrained by international humanitarian law, must adapt doctrine, training, and planning for high-intensity, protracted urban combat. The chapter proposes a framework linking urban realities—compartmented and three-dimensional terrain, multiple fortifications, civilians, and civilian infrastructure—to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’s joint functions to guide future preparation.

This article examines the evolving nature of antagonistic threats in the context of intelligence and security services, with a focus on small and medium-sized countries. It explores the impact of hybrid threats and non-linear warfare in an increasingly blurred security landscape between war and peace. The study aims to understand the emerging dynamics of the grey zone and the new challenges these evolving threats pose to intelligence and security services. The article adopts a qualitative methodology, drawing on global examples and including the strategic use of hybrid warfare by both state and non-state actors. In addition, the study examines technological advancements, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), to assess their role in shaping modern threats. The article argues that modern antagonistic threats differ from traditional ones in both intensity and complexity. Hybrid threats operate across multiple domains, blending military and non-military tactics while exploiting societal vulnerabilities. The article highlights the growing importance of AI and ML in both offensive and defensive strategies as well as the challenges posed by rapid technological advancements beyond state control. The article concludes that intelligence and security services must adapt to these multi-dimensional threats by embracing flexible integrated strategies. Enhanced international collaboration, advanced technological integration, and a focus on resilience will be the key to countering hybrid threats. The findings underscore the need for intelligence services to operate beyond traditional boundaries to effectively manage the complexities of future security environments.

Denna fältövningshandbok presenterar ett heltäckande upplägg för en historiskt förankrad fältövning om slaget vid Ortona 1943, med fokus på strid i urban miljö. Handboken består av tre delar: (1) en introduktion till slaget vid Ortona 1943 samt en begreppslig ram för urban strid (byggnad–by–tätort) kopplad till nutida och framtida kontext; (2) praktiskt genomförande med planering, en hybridmodell som kombinerar historisk orientering och tematiska diskussioner, integrering av ett kortdrivet krigsspel samt en pedagogisk verktygslåda; (3) ett dag-för-dag-program för spelplatserna Sterlin Castle, Villa Rogatti, Ortona och Orsogna, med lärandemål, frågeförslag och praktiska råd. Handboken innehåller även bilagor med litteratur- och medielistor, kartor och visuella hjälpmedel.

This staff ride handbook presents a comprehensive framework for a historically grounded staff ride on the Battle of Ortona in 1943, with a focus on combat in urban environments. The handbook consists of three parts: (1) an introduction to the Battle of Ortona 1943 and a conceptual framework for urban combat (building–village–town) linked to both contemporary and future contexts; (2) practical execution, including planning, a hybrid model that combines historical orientation with thematic discussions, the integration of a card-driven wargame, and a pedagogical toolkit; (3) a day-by-day programme for the locations Sterlin Castle, Villa Rogatti, Ortona, and Orsogna, including learning objectives, suggested discussion questions, and practical guidance. The appendices include recommended readings and media resources, maps, and visual aids.