När värdegrund möter vapenmakt : En kritisk diskursanalys av Försvarsmaktens kampanj För frihetens skull

Sammanfattning

This study examines how the Swedish Armed Forces (Försvarsmakten) construct their organizational identity and core values through strategic communication. In an era of shifting security policy and increased focus on national readiness, public agencies increasingly use market-oriented strategies to build legitimacy and trust. The aim of this research is to analyze how these constructs are manifested in the brand campaign För frihetens skull (For Freedom's Sake), specifically focusing on the commercials Eldöverfall (Fire Ambush) and Strid i bebyggelse (Urban Combat). Theoretically and methodologically, the study is grounded in Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), utilizing Norman Fairclough's three-dimensional model to conduct a multimodal analysis of linguistic, visual, and auditory elements. By examining text, discursive practice, and social practice, the study uncovers how meaning is produced and regulated within a broader societal context. The results indicate that the Swedish Armed Forces construct an identity characterized by professionalism, rationality, and authority. This is achieved through semantic engineering, where military actions are linked to universal, abstract ideals like freedom, thereby moralizing and legitimizing military practice. The analysis further reveals that core values such as responsibility, openness, and results are communicated performatively through depictions of discipline and control rather than through explicit declarations. A central finding is the depoliticization and normalization of military violence. By framing combat as a technical-professional skill and omitting the human consequences of conflict, the communication transforms political decisions into administrative necessities. Ultimately, the study concludes that these commercials function as a legitimization practice that aligns with contemporary Swedish security policy discourses on total defense and increased military preparedness.