Ledning i Forsvarsmakten. (Command and Control in the Swedish Armed Forces. Experiences of Swedish Military Commanders).

摘要

Field experience concerning what demands different environments and conditions impose on command and control is an important complement to theory, doctrines and guiding documents. Twenty Swedish military commanders with various national and international mission experience have been interviewed in order to support the development of the revised Swedish Armed Forces command and control doctrine (Swe: Grundsyn ledning). The interviews were semi-structured and covered command structure, command and control methods, and the interface between operational command and control management. A qualitative analysis of the interviews revealed six overarching themes: auftragstaktik (mission command), foundational principles for command and control, differences between leading organisations (EU, Nato, FN), the interface between operational command and operational management, branch-specific conditions, and command and control practice. Results show that the main command and control approach within the Swedish Armed Forces is Auftragstaktik (mission command). Within auftragstaktik, the level of detail of an order can range from very specific instructions to significant degrees of freedom regarding how to implement the mission. The level of detail needed in an order depends on e.g. education level and experience. All services within the armed forces apply auftragstaktik, however, command and control is more centralised within the Air Force than within the Army and Navy. Airborne forces are commanded using Air tasking orders which are detailed and generally involving few hierarchical levels of the command and control structure. The naval forces distribution over vast areas creates special conditions with long-lasting missions and where ships operate autonomously or self-synchronise with adjacent vessels. In the Army, the commander has more presence on the field than within the other services, and is thus able to build confidence during a mission. For the Air Force, such confidence generally needs to be built between missions. The most important principles for effective command and control identified by the interviewees are management experience, flexible command, control and feedback, functioning technical communication systems, well defined mandates and responsibilities, and loyalty and trust.