Swedish Defence University

What Swedish Defence University does

Swedish Defence University (Försvarshögskolan) is a Swedish public higher education institution founded in 1953 and operating under the Ministry of Defence, with campuses in Stockholm, Karlberg, and Karlstad and 251-500 employees. It is the only Swedish university that integrates civilian and military perspectives on defense, crisis management, and security, offering the Officersprogrammet (180 hp), master's programs in war science, political science with crisis focus, and international operational law, a bachelor's in political science with crisis specialization, and doctoral training. Beyond degree programs, it delivers commissioned education (Uppdragsutbildning) to the Swedish Armed Forces, FMV, civil defense organizations, and NATO partners covering leadership, security protection, NATO languages, cyber operations, and international crisis law.

The institution is also a defense research provider, organized into departments covering war studies, military history, leadership and management, political science and law, operational law, and defense systems. It conducts research through dedicated centers, including the newly established Centre for Capability Development and Innovation and the Centre for Total Defence Logistics (both dated 2026-04-14), and contributes to NATO Science and Technology initiatives and to a VTI-led consortium developing dual-use autonomous tracked vehicles. Faculty includes recognized researchers such as Oscar Jonsson (Stora Fackbokspriset 2024 winner), Nobuo Hayashi, Annette Lyth, and Charlotte Wagnsson, supported by the Anna Lindh Library.

Revenue derives almost entirely from Swedish government appropriations plus commissioned education contracts with defense and government clients; tuition is largely free for Swedish and EU students. There are no private funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no commercial products—the operating model is institutional and publicly funded, with strategic positioning increasingly oriented toward NATO-aligned capability development and emerging-technology (AI/autonomy) research.

Name

Swedish Defence University

Legal name

Försvarshögskolan

Website

https://fhs.se

Company type

Public

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Swedish Defence University (Försvarshögskolan) is a public higher education institution under the Ministry of Defence delivering officer training, master's and doctoral programs, and commissioned education in defense, crisis management, and security to the Swedish Armed Forces, government agencies, and civilian students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Higher Education Funding: As a Swedish public university, the Swedish Defence University receives core government funding for research and education activities, with student fees kept minimal under Swedish higher education policy.
2. Commissioned Education (Uppdragsutbildning): Customized courses and programs delivered to government agencies, the Swedish Armed Forces, civil defense organizations, and NATO partners. These include leadership development, crisis management, security protection, international law, and military logistics training.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Swedish Defence University (Försvarshögskolan) is a state-run higher education and research institution delivering undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programmes in war science, political science with crisis management focus, international operational law, and defence systems. It also provides customized commissioned education (Uppdragsutbildning) to government agencies, the Swedish Armed Forces and civil defence organisations, supplemented by research output and library services through the Anna Lindh Library.

Product overview

The Swedish Defence University (Försvarshögskolan) offers a comprehensive educational portfolio centred on defence, crisis management, and security. Its core offerings include undergraduate (Officersprogrammet) and graduate programmes (war science, political science, international law, defence systems), alongside extensive customized professional training (uppdragsutbildning) for defence and civil security personnel. The university provides specialized language training for NATO contexts, cyber operations courses, and security protection certifications. Research is conducted through dedicated institutes covering leadership, war studies, military history, defence systems, and international law, supported by the Anna Lindh Library. The portfolio spans civil and military perspectives, serving both academic students and professional practitioners in national and international defence organisations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Officersprogrammet (Officer's Programme)
• Master's Programme in War and Defence (Krig och försvar)
• Politics, Security and Crisis Master's Programme (Politik, säkerhet och kris)
• International Operational Law Master's Programme (Internationell operativ juridik)
• Bachelor's Programme in Political Science with Crisis Management and Security (Statsvetenskap)
• Customized Professional Training (Uppdragsutbildning)
• Security Protection Training (Säkerhetsskydd)
• NATO Language Training
• Cyber Operations Course (Cyberoperationer i teori och praktik)
• International Crisis Law Courses
• Anna Lindh Library Services

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVTI leads a three-year autonomous vehicle project for Sweden's civil and military preparedness initiative. The Swedish Defence University participates as part of a consortium of approximately 40 public and private partners, developing autonomous tracked vehicles capable of transporting standard EU pallets for critical supply delivery in rural areas for civilian and military logistics.
• Einride ABminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish tech company providing autonomous drive software (Einride Driver) for the dual-use autonomous all-terrain vehicle project. Einride receives SEK 7.8 million for participation and contributes to NATO Science and Technology Organization objectives.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NATO Defense College: NATO's premier educational institution delivering senior-level professional military education and security studies. Comparable in mission (defense education at the PME level) and NATO-aligned curriculum focus.
• Norwegian Defence University College: Norway's military higher education institution with undergraduate and graduate programs in defense, security, and military studies. Directly comparable mission and Nordic defense education context.
• Finnish National Defence University: Finland's defense university offering officer education and defense research. Comparable as another Nordic state defense university with combined military-civilian academic programs.
• King's College London - Department of War Studies: Academic department focused on war studies, defense, and security research, where Oscar Jonsson obtained his PhD. Comparable in research output on Russia, cyber warfare, and military science.
• Royal Danish Defence College: Denmark's national defense university providing officer education, defense research, and security studies. Closely comparable as a Nordic state defense university offering both academic and military training.

Others

• Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI): Independent research institute on security and arms control based in Stockholm. Adjacent peer as a Stockholm-based defense and security research organization with overlapping subject matter (Russia, conflict, arms).
• Swedish National Defence College (historical predecessor institutions): Historical military education institutions in Sweden consolidated into the modern Swedish Defence University, included as contextual reference for the Swedish defense education ecosystem.

Regional players

• Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI): Swedish foreign policy and security research institute. Adjacent peer operating in Sweden on security policy and international affairs research, with overlapping academic and policy audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Bundeswehr University Munich: Germany's major military university offering academic and officer education. Comparable as a larger European defense university with similar mandate and broader program portfolio.
• National Defense University (United States): U.S. institution providing joint professional military education and senior leader development. Comparable in joint PME mission and defense research, though at significantly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Forsvarshogsk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/fhs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/ki-camillamagnusson
• Facebookfacebook.com/forsvarshogskolan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Swedish Defence University