Doctrines are tools for directing and making military resources more effective, as well as to reflect the goals of the military organization. However some argue that doctrines are becoming more and more vague and can be hard to interpret. This study explores how doctrines can be used as different tools depending on what qualities it expresses and contains. Høiback’s theory suggests that doctrines could be used as tools for educational, command or transformational purposes. The aim for this study is to create a bigger understanding for how doctrines' main purpose as well as what role they constitute have changed over time. The research therefore conducted on Swedish military strategic doctrines 12, -16 and -22. The results indicate that MSD 12 is used as a tool for educational purposes but with influences of transformation. MSD 16 is used as a tool of command and is based on the transformation from MSD 12. MSD 22 was most likely used as a tool of transformation however the analysis of the doctrine constituted that the doctrine was presented to be very vague.