Rapid adaptation of defence materiel systems – efficient cooperation with suppliers

Authors:

  • Mattias Axelson
  • Martin Lundmark
  • Karin Schröder

Publish date: 2017-03-06

Report number: FOI-R--4408--SE

Pages: 82

Written in: Swedish

Keywords:

  • defence materiel acquisition
  • preparedness
  • rapid adaptation
  • cooperation
  • urgency
  • integrated teams.

Abstract

How can the complex defence materiel systems of the Swedish Armed Forces be rapidly adapted in response to new threats or tasks? This is a timely question due to the combination of fast technological development and increased security tension in Sweden's near environment. Rapid adaptation is a challenge since urgency sets different demands than what the regular defence acquisition process is designed to deal with. The task concerns rapidly reducing an unexpected gap in the operative capability. It does not concern performing previously planned tasks in a shorter time; it concerns dealing with new sets of capability demands. Nor does it concern rapid acquisition of defence materiel; it concerns adapting existing systems. In other words, an innovative change in existing defence systems. Rapid adaptation can include different types of materiel and system levels. It can also concern different time scales - in some cases hours or days, in some cases from a few months to up to a year or two. The time scale will be decided by a combination of what is technically feasible, available resources and competence, degree of urgency and the nature of the new threat. In all cases the rapid adaptation will be characterized by high task complexity and urgency in reaching a solution. A common denominator is that the regular defence acquisition process is an inflexible setup designed for planned acquisition that takes many years, whereas rapid adaptation requires other organizational solutions. The Swedish Parliament has decided that the operative capabilities of the Armed Forces is the foremost priority in the present defence planning period. One element of securing the capabilities is to be able to rapidly adapt existing systems. An important requirement for the rapid adaptation is that defence authorities must closely coordinate their efforts with industrial suppliers. This report studies what conditions that are needed in order to perform rapid adaptation in order to in short time reaching a qualitatively higher capability.