Logo: to the web site of the Swedish Defence University

This study examines three time periods by analyzing Swedish military doctrines from 2002 to 2022 to determine whether, and if so how, the phrasing related to hybrid warfare has changed. The study also examines whether doctrinal developments have influenced the language used to address and counter hybrid threats.

In a world where threats are no longer solely conventional and global security is increasingly characterized by a complex landscape and evolving hybrid threats, traditional approaches are no longer sufficient. Threats have become more multifaceted, combining conventional, irregular, and cyber elements. One way to address these hybrid threats is through the development and adaptation of military doctrine. 

This study was conducted as a qualitative text analysis on doctrines to examine whether the phrasing regarding how Sweden should counter hybrid warfare can be found in the doctrines, and if found how it has changed between 2002 and 2022.

This study concludes that the phrasing related to hybrid warfare has evolved over time. In the early 2000s, the term ‘hybrid warfare’ was not present in Swedish doctrine. However, by the end of the decade, doctrinal adaptations began to incorporate concepts and terminology that would later be recognized as elements of hybrid warfare. By the mid-2010s, explicit references to how Sweden should counter hybrid threats appeared in the doctrine for the first time. In the early 2020s, the doctrines illustrate how Sweden has formally acknowledged the threat of hybrid warfare and how the entire Swedish society has been adapted to counteract such threats.