For the sake of freedom : A multimodal analysis of the Swedish Armed Forces communication before and after Nato

In an era where the world situation is increasingly threatening, the Swedish Armed Forces have gained resources, and Sweden has joined Nato. This study examines whether the communication from the Swedish Armed Forces has changed in light of the current world situation, and the Nato membership. To examine this, a multimodal analysis has been conducted on the campaigns Till framtidens försvar - allt det som ännu inte hänt from 2019 and on För frihetens skull from 2025. This study is based on the following questions: how is the current world situation described in the campaigns? How do the Swedish Armed Forces describe themselves in the campaigns? How are the citizens described in the campaigns? What visual and linguistic expressions are used in the campaigns in terms of environment, perspective, distance, people, color choice and language? The theoretical framework consists of the propaganda model and critical discourse analysis. The multimodal analysis is the chosen method, which is based on the categories environment, perspective, distance, colors, people and language. This study shows that the Swedish Armed Forces communicate in different ways in the campaigns. The visual and linguistic expressions in the campaigns present the current world situation, the citizens and the Swedish Armed Forces in opposed ways in each campaign. A shift has occurred in what the Swedish Armed Forces communicate to the viewer, and has gone from focusing on proactive military work to communicating the military work as necessary for the freedom of the country. Meanwhile propaganda is still used in both of the campaigns.