”Rätt man på rätt plats” : - En multimodal kritisk diskursanalys av Försvarsmaktens reklamfilmer mellan åren 2011 och 2021

Sammanfattning: In 2011, the Swedish government made the decision to abolish the compulsory military service for Swedish citizens. As a result of this decision, it was now up to the armed forces to attract new recruits themselves so that Sweden, even during peacetime, would have a functioning defense that could act in potential emergency scenarios both abroad and domestically. This analysis examines how the Swedish armed forces, Försvarsmakten, used semiotic resources and representation of actors in their visual campaigns from the year 2011 to 2021, to influence the public perception of their own organization and shape the perception of who is a suitable recruit. It also examines lexical and visual choices to identify gendered discourses during the research period. The result shows that Försvarsmakten has adopted a more social and interactive stance towards the recipients over time, as well as focusing less on the actual military practices and more on the people, especially women, in the service.