Swedish Defence Acquisition Transformation - A Research Agenda

The Swedish Armed Forces and the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration FMV, that is, the Swedish Defence Procurement Agency DPA, are currently undergoing a radical restructuring of defence logistics. The restructuring involves shifting roles and responsibilities, and transfer of resources, including personnel, from the Armed Forces to the DPA. To a large extent, the transfer of resources involves the merger of parts of FMLOG, the Swedish Defence Logistics Organisation DLO, with the DPA. In the new business model, the DPA will assume responsibility for defence equipment from a life-cycle perspective, that is, both acquisition of equipment and provision of logistical support, whereas previously, the DPA was responsible for acquisition of equipment, and the Armed Forces was responsible for operations and maintenance. The restructuring provides a highly dynamic and challenging environment for defence acquisition. This paper seeks to identify the most important challenges facing FMV and the Swedish Armed Forces, and to translate these challenges into an agenda for research in the area of defence acquisition transformation.