The Total Defense Study 2025
The Total Defense Study 2025 involves participants from selected Home Guard districts, police districts, and members of unions representing critical civilian activities. These participants contribute by responding to a survey developed by social scientists.
The study is part of a doctoral project at the University of Oslo (Department of Political Science), conducted by Betina Slagnes. She is a PhD fellow at the University of Oslo and affiliated with the Total Defense division at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), which serves as her employer and host institution. The project is funded by the Department of Security Policy and Operations (FD II) at the Norwegian Ministry of Defence.
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For participants, this is an opportunity to share their perspectives on important social and political issues through a short online survey. By participating, they help contribute to new and valuable insights into Norway’s total defense.
The main objective of the study is to generate new and independent fundamental research in four key areas:
- Total defense: exploring how the different components of total defense function together and how they can be strengthened
- National defense capability: evaluating and analyzing Norway’s ability to defend itself against external threats
- Civil-military cooperation: examining the collaboration between civilian and military institutions and identifying opportunities for improvement
- Union perspectives: incorporating insights from a large group of union members to obtain a broader perspective
The results of the survey will serve as a foundation for future scientific books, articles, and reports, providing decision-makers with well-informed bases for decisions and contributing to strengthening Norway’s overall defense capability.
Initiative and funding
The initiative for the Total Defense Study 2025 was taken by Betina Slagnes, who also holds full academic responsibility for the content and execution of the project.
The study is conducted as part of her doctoral research at the University of Oslo, with FFI serving as her employer and project host institution.
If you have questions about the survey itself, you may contact the project lead (Betina Slagnes) at sporreundersokelse@ffi.no. For general questions about the project, you may also reach her at betina.slagnes@ffi.no.
The project is funded by the Department of Security Policy and Operations (FD II) within the Norwegian Ministry of Defence.
Collaborating partners
To conduct the survey, the Total Defense Study 2025 collaborates with the Armed Forces HR and Conscription Centre (FPVS), Norwegian police districts, Yrkestrafikkforbundet, and the Norwegian Union of General Workers (Norsk Arbeidsmandforbund). These organizations are responsible for distributing the survey to the respondents. Additionally, the study receives support from several internal support functions at FFI, including the IT unit and the Communications unit.
Academic collaboration
The study also collaborates with external academic and institutional partners, including the Norwegian Defence University College (co-supervisor), the University of Oslo (primary supervisor and co-supervisor), and the research network Scandinavian Consortium for Organizational Research at Stanford University (research residency).
