Totalförsvar

total defence; a system of joint preparation by the state and society for war

Resilience Mechanism

National defence becomes a shared capacity when responsibility for it is distributed in advance among the armed forces, public authorities, municipalities, businesses, services, civil society organisations and citizens. Clear roles and prepared coordination make it possible, during large-scale crises and threats, to protect people, keep essential systems operating and preserve society’s ability to act and resist.

What It Means

In this context, Totalförsvar is the Swedish model in which military and civil defence prepare to operate as a single system during war or heightened alert. Military defence protects the country from armed attack, while civil defence supports people’s safety and the continuity of essential societal functions.

The system involves government agencies, regions, municipalities, hospitals, transport and energy companies, communications operators, businesses, civil society organisations and citizens. Their roles differ but are coordinated in advance within a shared system of preparedness and response.

How It Works in a Crisis

During a large-scale crisis, the system is intended to maintain the continuity of essential functions and the country’s capacity to act.

Civil defence protects the population and supports healthcare, energy, transport, communications, food supply and other critical services while coordinating with military defence. The key mechanism is roles defined and prepared in advance: institutions plan their actions, build reserves, conduct exercises and practise coordination. Under pressure, society therefore does not build its response from scratch but shifts to already agreed structures and procedures.

What happens

A large-scale crisis threatens vital functions
What we focus on

Roles, reserves and procedures defined in advance
How we act

Civil and military defence act together
What it gives

Services continue and the country retains agency

A Lesson for Other Countries

Preparedness cannot be built after danger has already appeared.

It requires appropriate legislation and plans, stockpiles, exercises, clear communication, civil-military coordination and sustained investment. The Swedish experience also shows that lost capacity can be rebuilt: even after decades of reductions, a country can restore preparedness when security becomes a long-term policy rather than a temporary response.

Whole-of-society participation works when responsibilities are assigned in advance.

Whole-of-society participation works when responsibilities are assigned in advance.

Where It Comes From

Sweden developed its total-defence system during the Second World War and the Cold War. Military readiness was supported by shelters, emergency stocks, supply planning, civil protection and public guidance on how people should act in wartime. After the Cold War, much of the system was reduced as large-scale war came to be seen as unlikely.

Sweden began rebuilding total defence in 2015. This process accelerated sharply after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and Sweden’s accession to NATO.

What It Looks Like Today

Today, Totalförsvar includes stronger military defence, civil-defence planning, municipal and regional responsibilities, continuity of vital functions, civil-military cooperation, voluntary defence organisations, household guidance, business preparedness, psychological defence and information resilience.

The Swedish Psychological Defence Agency coordinates and develops the capacity to identify and counter harmful information influence. Cognitive and information resilience sit alongside logistics, critical infrastructure, public services and security of supply within contemporary total defence.

Since Sweden joined NATO, planning has also covered the defence of the Alliance’s external borders, deterrence, responses to hybrid threats even in peacetime, and Sweden’s role as a staging and transit territory.

In 2025, 130,000 workplaces received the brochure Preparedness for businesses — in the event of a crisis or war, with guidance on preparation and the contribution businesses can make to Sweden’s resilience.

Limits of the Concept

Totalförsvar is not a general model for managing every peacetime emergency.

In Swedish law and institutional practice, it is primarily designed for war and heightened alert. The model depends on capable institutions, stable funding, legal clarity, administrative continuity and public trust. It therefore cannot be copied mechanically in other settings. Hybrid and grey-zone threats also complicate the clear distinction between peace and war on which the system has historically relied.

Dictionary Links