Maintaining Leadership through Periods of Organisational Growth: Motivations for Recruitment and Retention of Military Officers in the Swedish Armed Forces

Sweden’s Armed Forces has undergone a period of rapid growth over recent years, following a prolonged period of reduction over previous decades. With this growth comes both a need to recruit additional new officers and also to retain existing experienced officers to lead and command Sweden’s military forces. This necessitates an understanding of the motivations behind Swedes’ decisions to apply to become officer cadets at Sweden’s military academy and what motivates existing officers to remain within the military. This paper presents initial findings from research conducted with Swedish military officers to investigate these motives. It explores issues of identity, belonging, pay, career development opportunities and work-life balance for military personnel. It also analyses themes of social obligation, duty and the desire for a career which was believed to be meaningful. Findings from this research provide insights for civil and military decision-makers which may be useful in devising policy and practice around conscription, officer recruitment and broader social policy.