Management Reforms in the Defence Sector

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Swedish defence sector has for the last 30 years been subject to expenditure reductions and changed policy as well as management reforms inspired by the ideas of New Public Management (NPM). The purpose of this article is to provide insights into the major management reforms in the defence sector. We describe and discuss the reforms and the implications for the defence sector in the context of expenditure reductions and changed defence policy. We conclude that the earlier management reforms served as instruments to reduce defence expenditure and that the reforms have affected how agencies and the Government interact and how politicians are able to influence the sector. Furthermore, there are indications that these reforms have contributed to the management challenges we can observe in the defence sector today. These challenges correspond to important features of an efficient network. This implies that there might be a need of a different perspective to improve public management of the defence sector.