War Studies

In Sweden, the subject of war studies can only be studied at the Swedish Defence University.

War and exercise of military power

The basic study object for war studies at the Swedish Defence University is war and the exercise of military power. The research aims at both the development of knowledge and the development of practical abilities, primarily among military professionals.

Typical research questions in war studies concern the nature and character of war, the usefulness of military means, how military organisations function (modus operandi) and how military capabilities are created, led and organised.

Knowledge development and interaction between man and technology

War studies also analyses the driving forces of military organisations, the conditions of the officer profession and how victory and defeat in battles and wars can be explained.

War studies is also about developing knowledge about system functions, such as management systems and human-technology-organisation interaction, as well as about practical management of military capability creation before deployment, capability utilization during deployment and capability reconstruction after deployment.

Each one of these phases - before, during and after an operation, covers issues all the way from the individual combat technical level to the political level.

War studies is a social science

War studies is a social science in the sense that war, warfare and the dynamics and actors of armed conflicts often are analysed in a broader social, political and cultural context.

Research relating to such a complex phenomenon as war must necessarily include several different perspectives - from the practice of the military profession to more generic perspectives from the wider social and human sciences.