28 people are taking part in the new technology development programme this summer. Many of them are studying to become civil engineers, but they also work part-time for the Armed Forces.
The idea is that they will learn how to turn their own ideas into technical solutions that can solve military problems when they are deployed to their units this autumn.
Part of a larger trend
The inspiration comes, among other things, from Ukraine, where domestic defence companies have established close contact directly with soldiers in the field during the long war against Russia.
And this is part of a larger trend.
Several countries are running similar programmes that have been started in recent years, says adviser Natalie Friedman, who was flown in by the Armed Forces from the technology and innovation hub Silicon Valley in the US to train the soldiers.
The whole idea is that the soldier should not have to wait for a finished product to be delivered, but instead test a prototype in combat to see if it works.
This can be compared with traditional defence procurement, which often takes several years.
App and ground drone
We have learned from Ukraine that the most successful units have internal development units so they can take experiences from combat and quickly translate them into new solutions, says Jakob Blomqvist.
The idea also comes from the Life Guards outside Stockholm, where soldiers interested in technology have built their own ground drone and developed an app that will simplify administration within the military.
We saw several spontaneous soldier initiatives where civilian competence and the desire to solve their own problems resulted in prototypes that could quickly be put into service, says reserve officer Fabian Duke, one of the founders of the combat lab.
The 28 participants are all paid by the Swedish Armed Forces during the five-week programme. One of them is part-time soldier Martin Araskog, who is studying to become a civil engineer at Lund University of Technology. He did not hesitate when he was invited to participate.
"I think it's really fun with technological development," he says.
