The military profession: Ethics, morals and values

The aim of this project is to deepen knowledge on ethics, morality, and core values in a Swedish military context, with a particular focus on ethics education for military personnel in leadership roles.

There is a general trend toward increased individual responsibility for ethical and moral aspects of leadership among military officers. This development places greater demands on military personnel’s ability to exercise sound judgment in ethical and moral matters.

This research project is developing educational materials tailored for the Swedish Armed Forces' Officer's Programme and the Joint Advanced Command and Staff Programme, addressing this growing need for knowledge. As part of leadership training within these programmes, officers refine their ethical and moral judgment, as well as their understanding of core values, through education and reflection on their own leadership. Over time, this strengthens officers’ ability to exercise ethical leadership both within their units and in various national and international operations. In this way, the project also contributes to the practical implementation of the Swedish Armed Forces’ core values.

Military ethics for commanding personnel

The project consists of two interlinked subprojects aimed at developing educational materials. The content of both materials is designed as a cohesive whole, reflecting a progressive deepening of knowledge as training becomes more advanced. These resources will be standalone in terms of scientific quality (i.e., they will not require supplementary literature) and can therefore be used in other military education programmes as well. The primary target group is military personnel in command roles.

The first subproject involved the development of a foundational textbook on military ethics, covering normative ethical theory with applications in a Swedish military context. This phase has now been completed. More information about the book Vägar till militär etik.

The second subproject focuses on creating an advanced-level military ethics textbook designed for senior officers. This resource will provide in-depth knowledge on ethics, morality, and core values, specifically related to leadership challenges at higher command levels. The anthology will incorporate perspectives from multiple disciplines, fostering collaboration within the Swedish Defence University.

Both subprojects will result in the publication of educational materials through Studentlitteratur, ensuring scientific quality. The content of both textbooks will be reviewed annually in seminar discussions with an established reference group, including representatives from the Swedish Armed Forces.

The project is structured around a civil-military co-authorship model. Magna Robertsson, Senior Lecturer, is the principal editor for both books, with Lt Col Dr. David Bergman serving as co-editor for the foundational textbook.

The research is carried out within the framework of the Armed Forces Research and Technology Development programme.