Propensity to serve in military organizations is an ever-evolving concept due to the role that the military organizations play to the individual serving within them. To some these organizations are merely a workplace, to some they are means for self-realization and others view them as an idealistic commitment, to protect and serve the societies they live within.
The negative trend in terms of global security and the prospect of a larger conflict in Europe raises the question how these conditions affect the motivations of the members within organizations tasked to defend their societies and values. Thus, the purpose of this study is to contribute to our understanding of how one motivates themselves to serve in military organizations today with the use of Fabrizio Battistellis trichotomy and Abraham H Maslows hierarchy of needs.
The theories were used to analyse five structured interviews conducted with specialist officers (OR6-9) currently serving in the Swedish Armed Forces. No evidence was found of any specific dominant category of motives. Instead, results suggests that the interviewed subjects motivate their service within the military organization by weighing the perceived short-term needs, threats and the organization’s ability to provide the means to fulfill these.