The Motivation to Serve in the Military Among Swedish and Norwegian Soldiers. A Comparative Study

The geographic location of Sweden and Norway, combined with a deteriorated security situation in the Nordic Region and a renewed focus on national defense, makes the development of their armed forces a hot topic. In Sweden, after years of downsizing, the Armed Forces are now building up again, and the NATO member Norway has the strategic location bordering the Barents Sea in the North. These circumstances underline the importance of the motivation to serve among enlisted personnel in order to ensure a sufficient manning of the armed forces. A qualitative interview study was conducted with enlisted soldiers in Sweden and Norway with the aim of studying the motivation to serve among this population. A thematic analysis was used and results show that the motivation to serve could be understood from the following three themes: The Military as a Stepping Stone, International Mission, and Geographical Location and Benefits.