Realizing the “market-state”? Military transformation and security outsourcing in Sweden

Abstract

Over the past few years, Sweden has markedly shifted its position on private military and security companies (PMSCs), from widespread reluctance and general suspicion to increasing acceptance and normalization, along with a gradual institutionalization of the use of PMSCs by Swedish state agencies. On the one hand, this development is part of the broader trend of security commercialization in Europe and globally. On the other hand, it is both shaped by, and shapes, changes within Sweden, where the past years have seen important shifts in foreign and security policies, as well as a substantial transformation of the Swedish Armed Forces, with the ongoing transition from a conscript system to an all-volunteer force (AVF) being the most visible. Drawing on interviews with state officials, records from parliamentary debates, and official government documents, this article analyzes the shift from reluctance to acceptance and identifies and discusses possible future implications of this increased reliance on PMSCs in the context of Swedish military and security transformation, particularly in relation to issues of security governance and civil–military relations and cooperation.