The global security landscape has shifted dramatically. Geopolitical tensions, rapid technological change, and lessons from Ukraine all highlight one central truth: innovation is no longer optional for defense, it is essential.
How can Sweden and its partners build a powerful, resilient defense landscape that keeps pace with the demands of today and tomorrow? At a SIR gathering of defense leaders, industry, and innovators, this question was at the core of the debate.
Innovation as a Cultural Shift
David Bergman, Chief of Research at the Swedish Armed Forces, emphasized that innovation cannot be reduced to new equipment or material alone.
“Innovation emerges when we face a military problem. Our task is to create individuals who can read problems we do not yet see,” Bergman explained. “It’s a cultural issue, not just a material one. We can’t plan for everything in a linear way.”
Bergman recalled Afghanistan as a turning point: the need for new materials and equipment forced collaboration with industry, bringing new solutions, even if they didn’t always work perfectly. The key lesson was iteration and agility.
But there are risks, David says.
“Pushing innovations the organization is not ready for, or that solve the wrong problems, can create a sense of “innovation theater”: the illusion of progress without operational effect.”
From Innovation to the Battlefield
Olle Hultgren from the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) understands the need for speedier processes, but warns that there is a risk spending funds on the wrong things.
“We need mechanisms that allow us to go from idea to series production quickly,” said.
It is when the military problem is clear that it is possible to work together.
Robin Hughes, Strategic Innovation & Technology Director, Saab agreed that the willingness to innovate is growing but stressed that pace matters:
“We need to move from innovation to the battlefield faster. The sense of urgency is still missing. I believe that we should change the mindset.”
Building the Right Interfaces
For industry, collaboration is not about lack of ideas or technology, but about synchronization.
“The defense needs technology from across the entire innovation system,” one panelist noted. “The challenge is aligning collaboration so it actually delivers.”
Catharina Sandberg, CEO of Lead and head of the upcoming Swedish NATO DIANA accelerator, underlined the importance of culture and bottom-up innovation:
“At the unit level, people know their needs, even if they can’t always articulate them as problems. Innovation should not be pushed down, it must emerge from the ground up,” she said.
DIANA will connect startups and dual-use solutions across NATO, but Sandberg pointed out a gap in Sweden:
“We don’t have a single science park or incubator here, at this conference which gathers all of Sweden’s incubators and accelerators, with dedicated support for defense innovation. We must stop working in silos. I want to see open hubs where all these actors can meet.”
The Role of Startups and Scaleups
Startups bring speed and creativity, while large defense companies bring scale and certification. The future lies in pairing the two. But regulation and procurement remain barriers.
“We are world champions in regulation, unfortunately,” Sandberg quipped. “We need to speed things up. Demonstrations, testbeds, and exceptions to the rules are necessary.”
Robert Limmergård, Director of SOFF (the Swedish Security and Defence Industry Association) pointed to strong growth: turnover up 55% in one year, with 500 new employees entering the industry in months.
Still, without faster innovation cycles, Sweden risks falling behind.
Learning from Ukraine
Several speakers stressed the urgency of learning from Ukraine.
Pär Lager, CEO, Senior Advisor, Author & Lecturer, has spent a lot of time in Ukraine during this war, and highlighted Ukraine as a live case study in urgency.
Faced with drone threats, solutions had to be developed and mass-produced within 12 months. State-backed risk capital supported innovators, while cooperation with the Armed Forces ensured fast feedback.
“Ukraine has created a national incubator where the Armed Forces’ problems are presented clearly, with financial backing and direct unit-level engagement,” explained Lager. “The result is enormous operational effect.”
Unlike traditional linear processes, Ukraine works with parallel solutions, testing and deploying rapidly. Brigades have the authority to procure directly.
Ukrainians he meets urges us in Sweden to prepare; to be ready to work fast and iteratively:
“Tens of thousands of Ukrainians aren’t here today because they weren’t prepared. We must act, test in smaller scales, and use the money we already have better,” he said.
What Needs to Happen Next
Across the discussions, three priorities emerged for Sweden’s defense innovation ecosystem:
- Leverage all available technology – defense innovation must draw from the full breadth of civilian and dual-use advances.
- Expand demonstrations and testbeds – more real-world testing, faster pilots, and proof-of-concept projects are needed.
- Regulatory flexibility – simplification, exemptions, and new models for procurement must be introduced to accelerate adoption.
Vinnova representatives confirmed that a more coordinated approach is underway, linking investments to resilience and ensuring initiatives align.
But as Pär Lager summarized:
“We cannot only think about Sweden. With 32 NATO countries, collaboration is key. If we want to maintain a technological edge, we need both speed and scale.”
From Words to Action
The key take aways: Sweden has the talent, the industry, and the resources. What is needed now is a sense of urgency, much stronger collaboration and coordination between the armed forces and the start ups -, and cultural change.
