Sweden has off and on been at the forefront of military technology development. One example is the development of cannon technology in the 19th and 20th century by the companies Åker and Bofors respectively. The products developed have served the Swedish armed forces but also the armed forces of other countries.

The commercial logic says that the more products you sell the better. From a nationalist perspective this is problematic, as sales of qualified military equipment to potential enemy states tends to nullify the advantage of having that equipment. It is asked how this dilemma has been addressed by the military authorities of Sweden. Especially the case of exports to Russia will be investigated, as it is where the dilemma is most dramatically illustrated. What arguments have been raised to motivate the export (or non-export) of weapons there, and how much has been exported to this traditional foe?

Thinking of the conference theme, what is “Knowledge at Work” in this context? If we take knowledge to be knowledge about national security, we may ask to what extent it has come to influence the work of arms producers in marketing and selling their products.