Strategic culture is a recognised concept among researchers within the field of War Studies although it is not particularly well known in wider circles. Researchers have not been able to agree on an exact definition of the concept but there is agreement that the concept of strategic culture can contribute to an understanding of the gradual and long-term changes in a country´s defence strategy.
This study investigates to what extent the strategic culture of the cold war period has influenced Swedish defence strategy in the first two decades of the 21st century, using Biehl et al analytical framework of strategic culture.
The empirical material used for data collection consists of the Swedish government defence bill and the Swedish Armed Forces’ Perspective Study from the first two decades of the 21st century.
The overall result shows a significant degree of influence from the strategic culture of the cold war period on Swedish defence strategy during the first two decades of this century. The only clear exception identified by the study concerns views on the relationship with NATO and EU.