ABSTRACT
Defence strategy in Denmark and Sweden appears to be more susceptible to external events. On average, the external events generated penetrated the defence strategy and subsequently had impact on military strategy. Military strategies in Denmark and Sweden are more susceptible to external shocks than strategies in Finland and Norway. The Cosmopolitans are more likely to internalise external events by adjusting national priorities to influence and adapt. A shock is either an unanticipated continuation of a trend or an unimaginable so-called Black Swan event. Shocks can be absorbed at the political level or they can be funnelled to other policy areas and thus be subject to other responses than military. It is clear that small states, although sandwiched between two major powers, have different options and that those are oftentimes used. The strategy of small states is inherently reactive as they adopt and adjust to an external environment that cannot be shaped, let alone controlled, if left to its own devises.
