Aligning tactics with strategy : Vertical implementation of military doctrine

Why do armed forces sometimes write doctrines that are inconsistent across the strategic, operational, and tactical levels of war? Using interviews to uncover how the Swedish Armed Forces implemented their 2016 military strategic doctrine, this study develops a theoretical concept of vertical implementation and explores why and under what conditions it varies. The findings suggest a tendency of lower levels to ignore superordinate doctrine; however, formal processes, actor attitudes, and doctrinal content seem to affect vertical implementation.