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The course was then hosted extremely generously by
SAAB, Sweden’s largest domestic defence supplier.
Following dinner at the Swedish Aerospace Museum
in Linköping, the cohort received a privileged and
candid address the next morning by the CEO of
SAAB, Mr Håkan Buskhe, who highlighted his firm’s
innovative approach, investing over 25% of its capital
in research and development. He and his employees “ demonstrated the agility of SAAB, which has
transformed from a largely domestic customer base, At any one time, to one with successful export campaigns worldwide. approximately
This breadth was further demonstrated the following 20% of the world’s day at SAAB in Gothenburg, which is a dedicated cargo is the
made the well-trodden pilgrimage to ‘Warpigs’ to sample its ‘Smorgasbord’ of delights, with varying levels of success. The restaurant is situated in the old ‘Meatpacking’ District which, contrary to Attaché guidance, was temporarily deemed exempt from local guidelines regarding electric scooter crewing...
Thursday brought a visit to Maersk for a fascinating insight into a non-military, global and diverse organisation. At any one time, approximately 20%
of the world’s cargo is the responsibility of Maersk,
a statistic that drives continual focus on resilience and contingency planning on a scale beyond that
of most militaries. This was brought to life by the presenters, some of whom were formerly UK MOD employees, who described their ‘bottom-line’ as their ‘frontline’ and mapped out everything from cyber protection to strategic portfolio management. This has seen the company disinvest in oil exploration in favour of container transport and logistics, at which it is arguably now world-leading. Indeed, some ACSC 22 officers were so taken by this fact that they felt compelled to share it with their loved ones through the medium of another Danish stalwart, Lego!
The final visit of the trip was to the Royal Danish Military Academy, where the Embassy and military staff painted a vivid and honest picture of Danish strategy and procurement, which is primarily based on import due to the relatively small Danish industrial base. Despite this, it was clear that Denmark and its MoD are ‘open for business,’ with increasing defence budgets, and strengthening commitment to NATO. The cornerstone of this is the purchase of F-35A fighters.
A rooftop farewell from the Commandant was followed by a sunny visit to the Copenhagen Citadel and its memorial to those killed in service to Denmark in recent conflict. On behalf of all at the UK Defence Academy, Director ACSC laid a wreath at this impressively modern monument. A light beverage was shared with Danish colleagues before the cohort returned home, reflecting on the many lessons outlined during the visit, throughout which we were made to feel extremely welcome.
radar production, overhaul and test facility. We received briefs on everything from company ‘ways of working’ to ‘human factors’ and were treated to
a fascinating case study into the tension that can exist in procurement cycles and how the importance of relationships between customer, agencies and industry.
We then crossed the Öresund Bridge from Sweden to Denmark ahead of a great couple of days and nights in the Danish Capital, Copenhagen. Many
responsibility of Maersk... ◆◆◆