Page 47 - JSOM Fall 2018

Swedish Specialized Boarding Element
Members’ Experiences of Naval Hostile Duty

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Marie Hindorf, CRNA, MSc, PhD Candidate *;
2
Lars Lundberg, MD ; Anders Jonsson, PhD 2

ABSTRACT
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Background: The Swedish naval specialized boarding element tankers, or private vessels. During 2005–2006, there was
participated in Operation Atalanta in 2013 to mitigate piracy a turning point in piracy when international attention in­
by escorting and protecting ships included in the United Na­ creased. In Somalia in 2011, 181 attacks were reported and
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tions World Food Program in the Indian Ocean. We describe 28 vessels were hijacked. Some authors concluded that Somali
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the experiences of the Swedish naval specialized boarding­ piracy problems were political 8,10 and that security on ships
element members during 4 months of international naval hos­ needs to improve.
tile duty. Some studies have reported experiences of naval duty
for the Coast Guard or the merchant fleet; however, we did For a long time, Sweden had been spared war and terror at­
not find any studies that identified or described experiences tacks, but in recent years, the country has been engaged more
of long­time duty onboard ship for the naval armed forces. frequently in different hazardous international missions at sea
Materials and Methods: The respondents wrote individual as well as on the ground. In April 2017, Sweden was exposed
notes of daily events while onboard. Conventional content to a terror attack when a truck was hijacked in Stockholm;
analysis was used on the collected data, using an inductive four people were killed and 15 were injured. 11,12
approach. Results: The findings revealed three broad themes:
military preparedness, coping with the naval context, and han­ During 2013, the Swedish ocean patrol vessel HMS Carlskrona
dling physical and mental strain. Different categories emerged participated in Operation Atalanta as part of a larger global
indicating that the participants need the ability to adapt to action by a European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) to
the naval environment and to real situations. Conclusion: The mitigate and combat acts of piracy in the Indian Ocean as
Swedish naval forces should train their specialized element well as protect shipments within the World Food Program
members in coping strategies. and other humanitarian or commercial shipping operations.
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HMS Carlskrona cooperated with the multinational Combat
Keywords: Swedish Navy; naval duty; mental strain; coping; Task Force 151 of US­led Combined Maritime Forces and the
qualitative method North American Treaty Organization’s antipiracy Operation
Ocean Shield. This was the third time that Sweden partici­
pated in such action. 14,15 While patrolling the Somalian coast
Introduction line and the Gulf of Aden, EUNAVFOR warships often visit
regional cargo and fishing dhows operating in these waters.
Working in a hostile environment has negative effects on phys­ These approaches are often friendly and provide EUNAVFOR
ical and psychological well­being. For example, in war zones, with the opportunity to reassure local seafarers that Opera­
soldiers are exposed to difficult circumstances, sometimes with tion Atalanta is at all times on standby to deter piracy activity
tragic and fatal outcomes. Feelings of uncertainty, powerless­ off the Horn of Africa. Information can then also be gathered
ness, and/or meaninglessness increase the psychological pain about movements of local vessels and possible pirate activity
when a person is exposed to combat. Research has pointed in the area. 14,16
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out the harmful effects of stress in a maritime environment,
leading to symptoms of, for example, anxiety, sleeping disor­ The Swedish naval specialized boarding element (hereafter,
ders, and inability to relax. Bridger et al. investigated stress “boarding element”) onboard HMS Carlskrona was an es­
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among naval personnel and found that lack of integrity and tablished, well­prepared team. They worked in a context with
private life onboard caused stress. Research on other occupa­ enhanced boarding capability, which implied the possibility of
tional groups active in other prehospital environments, such boarding at higher threat levels, in darkness or in heavy pitch
as civilian paramedics, has shown that they are predisposed to and roll. They were provided with extra equipment, had been
develop stress during active duty. 4 trained in special approaches and techniques to make board­
ing possible even on uncooperative ships, and they worked
Maritime shipping is a critical part of the world’s transpor­ closely with helicopters supporting the boarding element. The
tation infrastructure and is increasingly being attacked by task for the boarding element was to comply with peaceful en­
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maritime piracy, as demonstrated by many recent news items forcement and to follow the rules of engagement (M. August­
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about pirate attacks against different shipping companies, oil insson, personal communication).
*Correspondence to Swedish Armed Forces, Naval Warfare Centre, Vallgatan 11, SE­371 23 Karlskrona, Sweden; or marie.hindorf@mil.se
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1 Ms Hindorf is with Swedish Armed Forces, Naval Warfare Centre, Karlskrona, and University of Linköping, Linköping, Sweden. Dr Lundberg
and Prof Jonsson are at Swedish Armed Forces, Centre for Defence Medicine, Västra Frölunda, and University of Borås, Borås, Sweden.
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