Fast track i Försvarsmakten - En analys av rekryteringsinitiativet SOFU

Sammanfattning: The strategic level of recruitment of officers to the Swedish Armed Forces is in decline. At current numbers, the defense manpower requirements of officers are below the need, mainly due to a substantial level of age retirements. In order to ensure a sufficient level of officers to support the strategic defense of the country, the Swedish Armed Forces has to find new ways to attract talents. Through a special program, people holding an academic degree could now become second lieutenants within just a year of training - but how does the Swedish Armed Forces find the right applicants for the spots? The thesis tests how certain messages communicating military professional ethics or military expertise within recruitment campaigns affect university students in Sweden. The specific definitions were selected, given that ethics and expertise being two qualities that define officership as a profession. Communicating ethic proved to have significant impact on university student's attitude toward, and intention to applying to, the Swedish Armed Forces, in comparison to communicating expertise. However, recruiting university students will still be an overall difficult objective for those wearing uniforms.