After the Cold War, Sweden faced an entirely new defence reality. As a non-NATO member with a strong emphasis on military self-sufficiency, Sweden had one of the most substantial home-grown Defence Industrial Base (DIB) in Europe, and suppliers such as Saab primarily based their raison d'être on procuring Swedish government contracts. Beginning with the Military Equipment Act (1992) Sweden undertook a long route to military reform and is today one of the most export-oriented countries in Europe. This paper will look at what made Swedish reform so successful. It will be especially interesting to look at the legal basis for change, but also how the Swedish DIB was brought on board for such sweeping, and often painful reforms. In chess the Swedish Defence Variation is a well-known opening. The question is if this opening of the defence industry can also hold lessons for the rest of Europe.
