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In a rapidly changing security environment, Sweden has transitioned from military non-alignment to NATO membership, bringing increased focus to conventional deterrence. Meanwhile, armed forces are more active on social media. This raises interest in how these platforms can serve as potential tools for deterrent signalling, while making Sweden a relevant case for examining how such communication is expressed.

This study examines how the Swedish Armed Forces’ social media communication can be understood in terms of deterrence.  By comparing Instagram content from 2021 and 2025, the study uses a qualitative, comparative design. The analysis combines Montgomery’s five mechanisms of showcasing military capabilities with a narrative analysis to examine dominant patterns in visual and written content.

The findings indicate a shift from personal, recruitment- and information-oriented communication in 2021 to a more coherent and capability-focused narrative in 2025, in which Russia is constructed as an explicit and aggressive adversary. In this narrative, the display of military capabilities, expressed through all five mechanisms, is combined with the portrayal of a unified NATO. These elements are communicated as the primary response to the threat. The study concludes that further research is needed on how such communication is interpreted by the intended adversary, Russia.