Network Oriented Defense - Focus and Activities in Selected Countries

The aim of this report is to give the Swedish Ministry of Defence an overview of the international development of network oriented defence initiatives, and relate this to the Swedish development. the report describes the development in Norway, Germany, Finland and Canada.The primary interest is directed towards the specific activities that are carried out in these countries, and what effects - military or military related - that is aimed for. On the political level, things look much the same in all the countries studied, including Sweden. The most important factors are a widened range of threats and an emphasis on international missions. The military vision is also similar in all countries, with a focus on command and control, aiming for faster decision-making and real information superiority. When it comes to how these goals are being realised,however, Sweden in some ways differentiates itself from the other countries studied.For example,Sweden puts a stronger emphasis on long-term experimentation. However,it must also be noted that a Swedish reorientation began in the fall of 2004 and this is likely to result in a developmentmodel that is more similar to the one used in the other countries studied in this report.