Lund's Academic Officers Society
Lund's Academic Officers' Society, LAOS, was founded in 1960 by newly graduated reserve officers who studied at Lund University and wanted to combine academic life with the military in the spirit of a student. The emblem with the owl and the sword, as well as the motto "ad utrumque paratus" - prepared for both - refers to formation and defense, or if you like, LAOS works with intellectual means for a safe outside world.
LAOS works to spread interest and knowledge about defense and security issues. In its work, the society is completely independent from both the Swedish Armed Forces and the University. With us, the ceiling is always high and the debate is lively. The sixties were a turbulent time politically, not least in terms of defense policy. When ÖB Stig Synnergren gave a talk at a student evening organized by LAOS, no less than sixteen security police were required to escort him from the Great Hall of AF to the fair. Pronounced anti-associations were formed, something that also happened as late as the nineties. But LAOS stood its ground and arranged several defense exhibitions, including a Dragon plan on display in Lundagård. Today, the activity consists of lectures, debates and study visits. These are followed by sitting at our fair with homemade schnapps and our own songs. Once a year LAOS organizes a major event. In 1997, the society organized the seminar "Bridging the Baltic", which dealt with the security order around the Baltic Sea. The seminar attracted a lot of attention and was visited by several hundred people, mainly students, from Sweden, but also from other countries.
In 1998 LAOS organized "Defence Exhibition 98 - A sharper defence" in Lundagård. The event consisted of three parts: a materiel exhibition focusing on the latest materiel procurement within Sweden's defence, a debate evening on the theme "What does defense cost?" as well as the defense industry and defense labor market days. During the autumn of 1999, the society arranged the seminar "Challenge Europe". For two days, the visitors could listen to lectures by leading politicians, academics, journalists, diplomats and officers. The seminar ended with a debate on the theme "A New Path for Britain - A New Path for Europe". The panel was attended by none other than Britain's Minister of Defense Sir General Charles Guthrie. The seminar was well attended and attracted a lot of mass media attention. The fact that LAOS has a good combination of serious and student-oriented activities has meant that we enjoy great respect among many decision-makers. ÖB is said to have told a newly appointed major general that you don't get warm in your clothes until you have given a talk at LAOS. In addition, in recent years, we have received the word of several generals that LAOS has the "defence's" best bitters, a seasoning which, incidentally, HM the King was also presented with a bottle of during his visit to LAOS in the autumn of 1995. Lund's Academic Officers' Society hereby warmly welcomes you to community in LAOS and at our Fair.
