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Authors:

  • Ann Ödlund

Publish date: 2010-03-02

Report number: FOI-R--2944--SE

Pages: 63

Written in: Swedish

Keywords:

  • The Swedish Armed Forces
  • crisis management
  • Sweden
  • Finland
  • Norway
  • Denmark
  • cooperation
  • structure

Abstract

The development of extended cooperation in crisis management between the Nordic states call for increased understanding of similarities and differences in organisation. This study describes organisational structures for civil-military cooperation in national peace-time crises in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark. All countries have fundamental principles stating that the responsibility an authority hold during normal circumstances, is also applicable during crises. In Sweden the agencies in different sectors, but first and in front the municipalities and their rescue services, are the main actors. In Norway and Denmark the police at different levels have the main responsibility and in Finland the Ministry of rthe Interior plays an important role. In all countries, the military is obliged to support the civil society in severe crisis, and can also by law support the police in terrorism incidents. In Norway and Denmark parts of the military have civil obligations, like sea- and border control. In Finland the Border Guard has a military command system and cooperates with the military in the defence of the state. Sweden is less civil-military coordinated and has a vaguer structure for supporting civil society in crisis. The principle of responsibility doesn´t seem to prevent the other countries from having a more coordinated structure. Finland has civil-military cooperaion at all sdministrative levels. Norway has two Joint Rescue Coordination Centres which include the military and Denmark has a National Operative Staff for coordination in crisis where the military is a member. Two aspects are important to point out: 1. How should the structure of the Swedish Armed Forces and the civil authorities develop to effectively support civil-military cooperation with the other countries in national peace-time crises?