"Everyone should be included" and "Together" may sound like echoes from a bygone era, but they are still very relevant expressions. Let us create a new social contract based on these words.
The role of the business sector in total defense is enormous, and their contribution is not only a prerequisite for the functioning of society in crisis and war – it is a guarantee for Sweden's security and stability. It involves businesses providing resilience by keeping society running and maintaining everyday life. However, this role also means that the business sector today is a target for our adversaries, who are both capable and willing to take risks.
Here and throughout Europe, there is mapping, espionage, sabotage, and threats against companies that are in some way part of our joint support for Ukraine. In an escalated conflict, Swedish companies, as producers of goods and services or as maintainers and managers of critical capabilities in our society, will be a target for aggression, likely long before a uniformed authority is. The need to adapt to current and future conditions is as great as during previous major societal changes like industrialization or digitalization.
We need a total defense that reflects society today
Total defense must reflect today's global and interconnected reality, where the business sector is an included key player. By combining private and public resources, we can create a total defense that is both modern and effective. It is also crucial to understand the conditions for business sector participation. Companies are not societal institutions; their primary mission is to create value for customers and owners. Planning that does not take this into account risks becoming ineffective.
In today's changing world, the concept of total defense has gained new relevance, even among the public. Sweden's NATO membership and increased geopolitical concerns have spotlighted the need for preparedness and resilience. But despite the recurring focus on total defense, a deeper discussion about the crucial role of the business sector in the whole is often lacking.
Every individual company is expected not only to maintain production and service delivery under disrupted conditions but also to contribute to society's resilience by offering alternative solutions when needed. There is often talk ABOUT the business sector, constantly saying that we are a completely decisive actor. But how often do they talk WITH us?
It is also crucial to understand the conditions for business sector participation. Companies are not societal institutions; their primary mission is to create value for customers and owners. Planning that does not take this into account risks becoming ineffective.
The knowledge of civil defense needs to be spread - now
Unfortunately, surveys, such as our Total Defense Report, repeatedly show that knowledge of these expectations is often lacking among companies. Many do not know what role they are expected to play or how they are affected by a crisis situation. At the same time, clear guidelines from decision-makers on how the business sector can contribute are missing. Many companies, such as manufacturing and defense industries, still lack a sector-responsible authority and are excluded from current planning. This lack of coordination threatens our military endurance and weakens the entire total defense. We hope for rapid change as a result of ongoing investigations in 2025.
During the Cold War, Sweden's total defense was built on three things; the idea of neutrality, the illusion of legal protection, and planning for prolonged isolation. Large stockpiles of supplies and well-coordinated planning between the state and industry formed the basis for preparedness. Today, the reality looks different. Globalization has brought long and complex supply chains, making it harder to plan for disruptions.
To become an effective part of total defense, companies should work systematically to protect their assets, have active security work, and do their preparedness homework. This work can be divided into three main steps:
Initially, each company should map its protection values and conduct a risk analysis, further investigating its expected role in a crisis or heightened readiness situation. This is not just about understanding what the state expects, but also analyzing how the business itself can be affected by a larger societal disruption. For example: How dependent is the company on external suppliers? What resources can be mobilized quickly if needed?
Subsequently, a company needs to inventory its resources and identify risks and vulnerabilities in its operations and supply chains. Based on this, goals and ambitions for its continuity planning can be formulated. It is about creating plans that ensure the business can continue even during disruptions, attacks, and societal changes.
Finally; a plan is only as good as its implementation. Therefore, it is important to test and validate security and continuity plans through exercises and simulations. Exercises should reflect the unique conditions and challenges that the individual company faces.
What do we want to see more of in 2025?
The state must be clearer about the requirements and expectations placed on companies, while the business sector must be more proactive in identifying and communicating its needs and capabilities. Thus, a dialogue is needed directly with companies, not with some vague mass called "the business sector," not with sweeping discussions about supply beyond force majeure, but about concrete agreements. We need to conduct stress tests of business scenarios where public decision-makers and business leaders from the business sector meet and test possible scenarios, seconded by lawyers and experts in business law, contract law, administrative law, intellectual property law, and more, with employee representatives on-site to identify and find ways forward through the frictions that arise. The outcome is agreements adapted for a modern total defense.
We also need to dare to exercise leadership. When decisions need to be made under pressure and with insufficient information, it becomes easier if all involved know each other and have a common picture of the situation. This trust can be built through recurring dialogue, joint exercises, and shared responsibility for preparedness.
The role of the business sector in total defense is a guarantee for Sweden's security and stability. It is time to give this role the space and respect it deserves, through agreements, conversations, inclusion, and exercises based on each party's conditions and prerequisites.
"Everyone should be included" and "Together" may sound like echoes from a bygone era, but they are still very relevant expressions, let us create a new social contract based on these words.
A lot has happened and is happening this past year, many good things have been done. We are proud, but not satisfied.
Olle Ytterberg, senior advisor total defense, Combitech.