In the decades leading up to the First World War, the Swedish army (as the rest of Swedish society) was greatly influenced by Germany (i.e. subject primarily to Prussian military influence). German equipment was purchased and German training methods and ways of organizing military units were copied. Apart from such easily discernible traces of German influence, the Swedish officer corps - according to earlier research - harboured sympathies for Germany and the German Army. But did the German influences, and the sympathies for Germany, also result in a professional bias – i.e. in a lack of professional objectivity? The purpose of this essay is to examine whether the officer corps of the Swedish army in the period 1900-1914 managed to achieve a level of professional objectivity, i.e. if it in a systematic way endeavoured to study the military development in other countries than Germany. Earlier research has shown that Swedish officers travelled to all major European countries in order to study a wide range of subjects. The essay connects on to these results but also strives to examine the study tours as well as the officers who undertook them in greater depth. The author examines reports written by Swedish officers who studied in France between 1900 and 1914 as well as contemporary army lists.  In the essay two main questions are raised: 1. Which were the subjects for Swedish military study tours to France before the First World War? 2. Which categories of officers (rank, posting, career etc.) undertook such tours? The following main results are presented: A very wide range of subjects were studied – all relevant to Swedish military development of that time. The coverage of subjects was probably due to a systematic approach from the army authorities responsible for the approval of money for the tours. The officers who studied abroad were drawn from various units and backgrounds. The result of the examination of contemporary army lists shows that a high percentage of them later enjoyed successful military careers (e.g. what seems to be a higher than average percentage were later promoted to the rank of full colonel) – and that the army put the knowledge acquired abroad to use. An indication of the latter is that many of them, after having studied abroad, were given postings with a connection to the subjects they had studied in France. All in all, the results indicate that the Swedish officer corps achieved a level of professional objectivity in spite of the strong German influences of that time.

<p>När en nyutbildad officer som slutar är inte bara en ekonomisk förlust för Försvarsmakten, utan även en organisatorisk förlust eftersom brister i bemanningen inte går att åtgärda direkt. Medelåldern i Försvarsmakten har stigit de senaste åren. Syftet med denna uppsats är bidra till förståelse för varför unga officerare lämnar Försvarsmakten. Vid Luftvärnsregementet Lv 6 i Halmstad är medelåldern 40,6 år. Under de senaste fyra åren har sju unga officerare lämnat anställningen på regementet. Frågeställningarna som har besvarats är: Vilka är anledningarna till att de sju officerarna slutat på Luftvärnsregementet? – Finns det gemensamma orsaker?  Delar andra officerare de erfarenheter som lett fram till avgångsbeslutet?  - Av dessa, hur många funderar på att sluta?<em></em></p><p>Resultaten har nåtts genom intervjuer med sju officerare och en enkät där 686 unga officerare deltagit. Intervjuerna och svaren från enkäten ger en bild av att många unga officerare upplever stor arbetsbelastning och att det inte finns resurser i form av pengar eller personal att lösa tilldelade uppgifter. Officerare tvingas planera om verksamhet av besparingsskäl. Trots detta har majoriteten av enkätdeltagarna angett att förbandet bedriver en god utbildning av de värnpliktiga.</p> / <p>The average age in the Swedish Armed Forces has during the last four years increased from 39,5 to 42,2. According to a study from the 1990’s many young officers resign from the military organization, this is verified by the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarter. Becoming a commissioned officer in the Swedish Armed Forces requires three years of studies at a military academy. Young officers resigning from the Armed Forces lead to financial as well as organizational losses. This study aims to develop an understanding of the main reasons why young officers choose to find a career outside the Armed Forces. To do this seven young officers that have resigned from the Air Defence Regiment have been interviewed. A survey has been sent out to 686 officers that are still serving with the purpose of investigating whether they share similar experiences and if they are considering resigning the Armed Forces.</p><p>The most significant results show that the young officers tend not to feel appreciated by their superiors. Furthermore, Swedish officers experience that they are carrying a heavy workload. Some of the problems young officers are facing in their work situation are due to financial cutbacks.</p>

När en nyutbildad officer som slutar är inte bara en ekonomisk förlust för Försvarsmakten, utan även en organisatorisk förlust eftersom brister i bemanningen inte går att åtgärda direkt. Medelåldern i Försvarsmakten har stigit de senaste åren. Syftet med denna uppsats är bidra till förståelse för varför unga officerare lämnar Försvarsmakten. Vid Luftvärnsregementet Lv 6 i Halmstad är medelåldern 40,6 år. Under de senaste fyra åren har sju unga officerare lämnat anställningen på regementet. Frågeställningarna som har besvarats är: Vilka är anledningarna till att de sju officerarna slutat på Luftvärnsregementet? – Finns det gemensamma orsaker?  Delar andra officerare de erfarenheter som lett fram till avgångsbeslutet?  - Av dessa, hur många funderar på att sluta? Resultaten har nåtts genom intervjuer med sju officerare och en enkät där 686 unga officerare deltagit. Intervjuerna och svaren från enkäten ger en bild av att många unga officerare upplever stor arbetsbelastning och att det inte finns resurser i form av pengar eller personal att lösa tilldelade uppgifter. Officerare tvingas planera om verksamhet av besparingsskäl. Trots detta har majoriteten av enkätdeltagarna angett att förbandet bedriver en god utbildning av de värnpliktiga. / The average age in the Swedish Armed Forces has during the last four years increased from 39,5 to 42,2. According to a study from the 1990’s many young officers resign from the military organization, this is verified by the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarter. Becoming a commissioned officer in the Swedish Armed Forces requires three years of studies at a military academy. Young officers resigning from the Armed Forces lead to financial as well as organizational losses. This study aims to develop an understanding of the main reasons why young officers choose to find a career outside the Armed Forces. To do this seven young officers that have resigned from the Air Defence Regiment have been interviewed. A survey has been sent out to 686 officers that are still serving with the purpose of investigating whether they share similar experiences and if they are considering resigning the Armed Forces. The most significant results show that the young officers tend not to feel appreciated by their superiors. Furthermore, Swedish officers experience that they are carrying a heavy workload. Some of the problems young officers are facing in their work situation are due to financial cutbacks.

Syftet med uppsatsen är att ta reda på vilka faktorer som är avgörande för unga officerare att stanna kvar i yrket och belysa deras föreställning avseende vad som skulle kunna få dem att lämna yrket i förtid. Jämförelsen mellan dessa två förhållningssätt ger en tydligare bild avseende vad som Försvarsmakten måste utveckla för att färre officerare ska lämna yrket i en tid när organisationen ska växa.   Sammanfattningsvis pekar studies slutsatser på att varierande och utmanande arbetsuppgifter i förhållande till genomförd utbildning med en kommunicerad individuell utvecklingsplan mot nästa befattning/skola inom ramen för en organisation med hög flexibilitet, god gemenskap och ett nutida ledarskap som motiverar unga officerare till att stanna kvar. Avsaknaden av ovan och utebliven kommunikation runt den individuella utvecklingsplanen samt en låg förståelse för unga officerares behov av en flexibel arbetsgivare och då särskilt när livssituationen förändras. Detta sammantaget får unga officerare att tappa förtroendet, tilliten och känslan av betydelse vilket leder till att unga officerare lämnar Försvarsmakten.   Rekommendationen till Försvarsmakten är att myndigheten måste förtydliga vikten av hur organisationen jobbar med frågor kring motivation och arbetstillfredställelse. För chefer är det ett systematiskt arbete att genom sitt ledarskap motivera sina medarbetare genom att cheferna har en roll som motivationsgivare och det kräver att chefer är nära sin organisation samt söker svar på vad som motiverar sin medarbetare genom ett aktivt samspel. / The purpose of the research is to determine which factors are essential for young officers to remain in the profession and shed light on what could cause them to leave. The comparison between these two approaches gives a better understanding of what the Armed Forces must develop to reduce the number of officers leaving the profession at a time when the organization must grow.   It is the authors' conclusion that varied and challenging tasks in conjunction with a completed education where there is a clearly communicated and individual development plan towards the next position / school within the framework of an organization with high flexibility, good community and a contemporary leadership will motivate young officers to stay. The lack of the above, poor communication around the individual development plan and a low understanding of the young officers needs for a flexible employer, especially when life situations change, will result in young officers losing their confidence, trust and sense of significance leading them to leave the Armed Forces.   The recommendation to the Swedish Armed Forces is that the organization must clarify the importance of how it deals with questions regarding motivation and job satisfaction. For managers, it is a continuous and systematic duty to motivate their employees through their leadership. Managers have a key role as a motivator and that requires managers to be close to their organization and seek answers to what motivates their employees through an active interaction. / <p>Presentationen genomfördes via ZOOM med anledning av den pågående pandemin (covid-19).</p>