Att förstå OSINT

Sammanfattning: This paper evaluates the Swedish Armed Forces OSINT concept as it is laid out in the Swedish Armed Forces Intelligence regulations. The evaluation is done by applying John Gerring’s theory of Good Concepts to the concept in question. OSINT has become increasingly important in intelligence, with some sources claiming it regularly constitutes 35-90% of the answer to any given intelligence requirement. Since Sweden has applied for NATO membership it is increasingly important for the Swedish Armed Forces to be interoperable with NATO countries. To facilitate interoperability with regards to OSINT this paper also evaluates the OSINT concepts of the British and Norwegian Intelligence doctrines. The results are compared to the results of the evaluation of the Swedish Intelligence regulations, highlighting various pieces that would improve the Swedish concept. The results indicate that OSINT is neither well defined nor commonly understood in the Swedish Armed Forces or in NATO. OSINT is conceptualized in a way that blurs and confuses the distinction between OSINT and other intelligence collection disciplines. This paper concludes by suggesting several ways to improve the Swedish Armed Forces OSINT concept while also making it more interoperable.