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Strong winds are blowing over the Baltic Sea and many sailors probably wish it was a calmer day for the navy readiness exercise at the Berga naval base in Haninge. At the other end of one of the docks we find Ewa Skoog Haslum, dressed in a uniform with all the towing buckles visible above the left jacket pocket. He has worked in the Navy all his life. The tow buckles come from assignments in Lebanon and as an assistant to the crown princess, among other things.
– I am rarely on boats, especially now during the corona pandemic. If I went to sea today, I would probably vomit, he says, looking at the battleships.
– When I worked on board ships, there could be several of us who got seasick. But then she felt better and worked twice as fast, until she got dizzy again.
She goes on to speak of what she calls the spirit of union as we take refuge inside, in the magnificent castle of the Berga naval base, one of the seven, soon eight, regiments for which Ewa Skoog Haslum is responsible.
As the boss of one of Sweden’s three types of weapons (the others being the army and the air force), she has 3,000 people under her command.
– I think the prejudice is that it would be easier for us to point with the whole hand, say “jump” and then everyone jumps. But it doesn’t work like that in daily work. On the other hand, I think we know each other better, he says and explains:
– For me, it is clear that I know what the respective names of my colleagues are, how many children they have, what they do in the summers. If someone feels a little bad one day, you know why. It is part of building trust.
“We are very good at switching between fun and serious in the navy,” explains Ewa Skoog Haslum.
Photo: Beatrice Lundborg
Do you have to have the same leadership in peace and in war?
– Yes I think so. For example, I was the captain of a ship off Lebanon patrolling the Lebanese coast. Then we could sit back, laugh, and joke around in the battle command center. But as soon as something serious happened it took 0.1 second and everyone knew what to do. That switch between fun and serious – we’re very good at it in the navy. We can, without thinking, go between practice and effort.
– I know that I am the one who makes the final decision, but then I have heard what my subordinate managers think. If you have a lot of confidence in your management team, you can put your hand down every now and then and say “now we go here.” Even if you’re not with me, stay tuned anyway.
From time to time, both recruits and employees of the Armed Forces report a severe work climate, most recently in early December, SVT reported harassment in the military.
What does Ewa Skoog Haslum think about how much can be questioned?
– Much. I like the climate of discussion. We are an officer corps you should be thinking about. So you must not question for questioning. It must be constructive, I like it when you take responsibility for your thoughts and discussions … But this coffee room whines, I have a hard time with that. It creates more discord and anxiety and is not as fruitful, he says and further explains:
Ewa Skoog Haslum was commander of the Fourth Naval Battle Squad during the hunt for the submarine in 2014. She was the one who could decide to shoot to kill. A difficult and unusual management decision.
How does it feel to have the final decision to decide whether to kill someone from a foreign power?
– We are trained in that. As soon as we get out, our captains can make those decisions. It is a government delegation to an individual ship commander. We don’t have time to ask permission on the day that would happen. I don’t think it’s very strange.
Doesn’t it seem strange to you that you can decide that someone should die?
– No. It is clear that the day one has to make that decision is terrible. But no. I have never doubted if I could work here, depending on whether I would have to make that decision. But we can take it even further: I can make a decision that puts my staff at risk, which is probably the worst.
“If someone had told me that I would become a naval commander when I went to officer college, I would have laughed not only at my cadet group, but also at my entire group of cadets. When people say, ‘We have to look for talent among 23-25 year olds,’ then I think: What do you say that this particular 25 year old will be a great naval chief? ”Says Ewa Skoog Haslum.
Photo: Beatrice Lundborg
The naval chief is completely in the hands of the politicians’ decisions both on the orientation of security policy and on the defense budget. Recently, the defense received a budget increased to 89 billion SEK. This means that the Navy’s Visby corvettes will be equipped with air defense robots, a fifth submarine, and an amphibious regiment restarted in Gothenburg. But Ewa Skoog Haslum sees how the money will go to fill in the gaps:
– I oiled the oak table at home a few weeks ago, something I haven’t done in a long time. When I turned around and looked at the table shortly after, I saw that only small oil stains remained. Otherwise, he had just said “slurp”. Then I got a little drunk laughing because that’s the way it is with money. It will just say “slurp”.
– The Swedish people and politicians expect an authority that is a bit innovative and can be smart about taxes. I understand that Swedes think, “You get a lot of money.” But the reason is that they have neglected to invest money for the last twenty years.
A large part of your job is planning what the marina will look like in the future.
– We are in the middle of a paradigm shift. No one who works in the Armed Forces today has been involved in growing up. We’ve only been involved in shutting down, shutting down, shutting down. So when we say now that we should think of new things. What do we mean? What is thinking new?
– The fun thing about my job is production, that is: How do we become a good navy? Both tomorrow and in 2040. How do we become operationally smart? We operate 24 hours a day. It is part of leadership. The second is crowns and pennies, staff and equipment.
Ewa Skoog Haslum grew up in a family of carriers in Torekov. In eighth grade, he joined the National Guard, it was his first encounter with the defense. He became a Marine, but after graduation, women were able to do military service, which was then called voluntary basic education. She moved in as a telegraph operator for 15 months. The same day he cleaned up, the officer program began.
– If someone had told me that I would become a naval commander when I went to officer college, not only would I have laughed, but also my entire brood of cadets. When people say “We have to look for talent among young people between 23 and 25 years old,” then I think: What is it that says that this 25 year old will be a great naval chief? First, it may be the worst of all. But these us no look? We miss those in whom we did not choose to invest and train.
Has it been difficult being a woman, often a single woman among men?
– When metoo started, I approached my husband and said, “I can’t even say ‘me too’. I’ve never been exposed to this.” And then I had to examine myself to see if I had chosen to look away. But no. I have not had it particularly difficult because I am a girl.
Could it be easier in a hierarchical organization?
– In some way. Many say that it can be more difficult to establish a clear hierarchical organization. But if you are a woman in a male-dominated organization, then you are visible.
1990 he pursued a career as an ensign, artillery officer, teacher, and further training as a naval captain. She was working with strategy management at headquarters, was on paternity leave, but felt she didn’t want to get stuck on the ground. So, from a second on a ship, then it was with Lieutenant Commander Sundsvall. Then he had two young children.
– I got a lot of praise for being a ship captain and mother of young children. And then my husband got a lot of praise for being home. My colleague later commented, “Nobody praises me, or my wife who is at home.”
What about the balance between work and leisure?
– We live in a strange time in which we think that everything should be so perfect all the time, it is not. We send signals to the younger generations that life is planned like this, she says, drawing little squares in the air.
– People seem to think that I have planned to become naval chief. And so I sat here and dialed. But I just said yes. I have not sat down to think much about whether this is correct or not. Or if it will take me to the next position.
– I haven’t said much no. Sometimes I may have regretted it. But it is clear that you have to say “yes”.
