Page 58 - The Cormorant 2018

PAGE 56
Regional Security Exercise 2, Means Module – Scandinavia (Sweden and Denmark)
Wing Commander Andy Colley
A TOTAL OF 82 staff and students from the Means Module visited Sweden and Denmark between 9 and 15 June 2018 for the second
Regional Security Exercise of the Course. The aim of the visit was to elicit alternative perspectives of military capability and
resources; both from the governments concerned and their key industrial partners. A packed programme ranged from the 17th Century Swedish warship, whose loss on her maiden voyage arguably marked the start of formalised
public procurement in Sweden, through to the Danish purchase of the F35.
Sweden and Denmark share Nordic heritage,
enjoy close relations, and are both members of the European Union; however their approach to Defence is markedly different. Sweden’s policy of armed neutrality since the Napoleonic wars and consequent wish to avoid entangling overseas procurements
has led to a sizeable domestic Defence industry.
The Swedish defence procurement agency, FMV, presented during a visit to the Swedish Defence University and suggested this approach was not in conflict with the EU’s public procurement regulations. While FMV also suggested export considerations did