During the Cold War, the largest threat against the countries of Europe was an enemy attack or invasion. After the end of the Cold War, the strategic environment changed drastically. The impending threat of a large-scale war was gone and the countries of Europe approached each other in the hope of cooperation with mutual benefits. As the old threat faded away, new threats which were significantly more dynamic and complex emerged. Threats such as terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, organised crime over the boarders and state failure became more apparent, both, in Europe and in its proximity. Irregular conflicts as in Kosovo and Afghanistan showed an assortment of the various threats. This complexity poses as a big challenge for the officers of today and tomorrow. It is of vital importance that both current and future military commanders are well educated in the complexities of their line of work. The first step to achieve this is ensuring that adequate education in the subject is given. In this thesis, the author researches to what extent the Swedish National Defence College and the Theresan Military Academy choose to educate their officer cadets regarding the new threats. The purpose of researching more than one country is to enable a discussion on eventual areas of improvement in the two countries’ curricula, within the context of the common threats. The author chose Austria because of its many similarities to Sweden. The methodological approach of the thesis is mainly of a quantitative nature. The author researches whether the different threats are found in both national and military strategies as well as in the curricula of the two academies’ Basic Officer Education. The study shows that more education is needed regarding certain threats. More training is needed regarding cyber security as a result of the growing dependence on IT systems and digital information. In addition, an international collaboration could yield potential benefits for both officer cadets’ problem solving skills and their knowledge of the ESS. / Under det kalla kriget var det största hotet mot länderna i Europa ett fientligt angrepp eller invasion. Efter det kalla krigets slut förändrades den säkerhetspolitiska miljön avsevärt. Det överhängande hotet om storskaligt krig var borta och Europas länder närmade sig varandra i hopp om samarbete med ömsesidig nytta. I takt med att det gamla hotet bleknade så växte det fram andra hot som var betydligt mer dynamiska och komplexa. Hot som terrorism, spridning av massförstörelsevapen, organiserad brottslighet över gränserna och nedbrytning av svaga stater blev allt mer påtagliga, både i Europa och i dess närområde. Irreguljära konflikter som i Kosovo och i Afghanistan uppvisade en blandning av de olika hoten. Denna komplexitet innebär stora utmaningar för både dagens och morgondagens officerare. Det är av yttersta vikt att både nutida och framtida militära chefer och beslutsfattare är väl insatta i hur komplexa uppgifterna faktiskt kan komma att vara i deras yrkesutövning. Det första steget för att nå detta är att adekvat utbildning i ämnet ges. I detta arbete undersöker författaren i vilken utsträckning Försvarshögskolan i Sverige och Theresianische Militärakademie i Österrike utbildar sina officersaspiranter gällande de nya hoten. Syftet med att undersöka mer än ett land är för att kunna diskutera eventuella förbättringsmöjligheter i de två ländernas utbildningar, kopplat till de EU- gemensamma hoten. Författaren valde Österrike för dess många likheter med Sverige. Arbetets tillvägagångssätt är främst genom en kvantitativ metod. Författaren undersöker huruvida de olika hoten återfinns i såväl nationella som militära strategier och i kursinnehållen för de båda ländernas grundläggande officersutbildning. Studien visar att mer utbildning behövs avseende vissa hot, bland annat gällande cybersäkerhet som ett resultat av det växande beroendet av IT-system och digital information. Dessutom hade ett internationellt samarbete inneburit potentiella fördelar gällande både kadetters förmåga till problemlösning samt deras kunskap om ESS. / <p>Erasmus</p>

Background: In 2009, the European Union (EU) adopted the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). This contributed to an already on-going change amongst the armed forces of the Union. No previous research has examined how the skills required of young officers in the EU are taught at the Basic Officer Education within either Sweden or Austria. Purpose: This thesis examines to what extent the skills needed of young officers in a CSDP-environment are taught during the Basic Officer Educations in Sweden and Austria. The purpose is to conclude if the Swedish and Austrian Basic Officer Educations are complying with the political wills of their respective countries, to adapt their armed forces to the EU and CSDP. Method: The author compares the Swedish and Austrian Basic Officer Education by examining curriculums and syllabuses, as well as conducting expert interviews with officials at the schools and comparing the results. The educations are examined based on how they educated the concept of CSDP and how interoperability and a European culture of defence are promoted. Conclusion: The results show that both Sweden and Austria educate their cadets in the CSDP and take measurements to promote interoperability and a European culture of defence. The results suggest that Austria does so to a further extent. Based on the results, the author suggests increased exchanges, Pooling &amp; Sharing during Basic Officer Education and further developments towards a common European Basic Officer Education. / <p>Erasmus</p>