Moving on. Former Navy chief Ewa Skoog Haslum was involved in C2B2’s board before she changed jobs to head of the Armed Forces’ operations in November.
– It is when we cluster different competencies that we become strong, she says.
For a year and a half she was part of C2B2’s board. But at the end of October, it became clear that Navy Commander Ewa Skoog Haslum was appointed as the new head of the Armed Forces’ operations management. In connection with the change, she also ended her involvement within C2B2.
– There is tremendous competence in the program, which I am now unfortunately leaving, she says.
In her job as a naval commander, her professional residence has been out on Muskö. Classic ground in Swedish naval, military contexts. But when the newsletter gets hold of Ewa Skoog Haslum, she is in a place that is more associated with her new job.
– I am sitting at the headquarters on Lidingövägen, she says.
An interview with an officer at her level is associated with certain security procedures. The telephone call is administered via a press officer who is also present, albeit inaudible, during the call.
If they completed a background check before the interview? Of course.
– He fixes all that, says Ewa Skoog Haslum.
She refers to the press officer.
But contact with C2B2 began in a more informal way. C2B2’s program manager simply got in touch via Linkedin.
– He asked if I wanted to join the board, says Ewa Skoog Haslum.
What really got her interested was the view of the ocean featured in the program.
– In various contexts there is talk of a rural area. But I usually say that there is also a society out at sea. A sea village. A flow of communication, energy, travelers, economy … even crime, she says.
Within C2B2 there is a perspective around creating a sustainable management of the sea where different stakeholders in the maritime community cooperate. Because if we are to build a sustainable seaside village – then, according to Ewa Skoog Haslum, all parts of society need to be involved.
One type of stakeholder participating in the research program is companies in offshore wind power. There, the navy may have views on the location, so that it does not compromise their maneuvering space. In her role as head of the navy, Ewa Skoog Haslum has also said that there are business risks in locating the wind farms outside Swedish territorial waters, i.e. further than twelve nautical miles from the coast.
– I am not saying that it is always inappropriate. But you should be aware that the Swedish defense has no legal right to protect them out there. This makes you vulnerable, and you may also have to be prepared for an antagonist to simply take over the investment.
A result of us bowing down to a greater power? No, she doesn’t think so.
– It’s about us being robust.
When asked what she thinks about the possibility for the work in C2B2 to be successful, she points to a particular strength: the cooperation between the various stakeholders and partners who participate.
– If you want to be successful when it comes to things like blue economy and security, you don’t just need knowledge. It also requires to be brave and a little noisy in the debate. Durability noisy. And each doesn’t say it as forcefully on its own. Together is the key word, she says.
She believes that the combined skills found within C2B2 is an exemplary way of working.
– More people should adopt that. It is when we cluster different competencies that we become strong.
As a naval commander, she has a professional relationship with the sea that has lasted a long time.
– It’s the element I’ve been in since I was 19.
Then, in 1987, she did her military service in the navy.
But even in private, the relationship is solid. Ewa Skoog Haslum grew up in Torekov on the Bjäre Peninsula. A classic fishing village that over the years has become more and more of an epicenter for typical vacationers: celebrities and others who want to live near the sea without necessarily having it as their livelihood.
She herself lives today in Stockholm. But there, too, the sea is close, and the former navy commander likes to venture out into the archipelago even in his spare time.
– Sailboat? No, for us it’s the engine that counts, she says.
Facts: Ewa Skoog Haslum
Age: 56 years.
Family: Husband and two sons, 25 and 21 years old.
Lives: Stockholm.
Listening to: ”A strong musical memory is from when I was ship commander of the corvette Sundsvall and we came home from a long-term UN mission. When we docked in Stockholm, we played U2’s It’s a Beautiful Day. It felt powerful.”
Photo: The Swedish Armed Forces