As Sweden's total defence expands faster than it has in generations, new demands are being placed on the whole of society. That is the starting point for Totalförsvarsexpo 2026 (Total Defence Expo 2026), which on 18-19 September will bring together government agencies, industry and research in central Lund (southern Sweden). The event is organised by Lund Academic Officers' Society (LAOS), a student association that aims to strengthen skills supply, innovation and defence commitment among students and the wider public in Lund. The Swedish Armed Forces is supporting the event, with Saab and the City of Lund as main sponsors.
The expo consists of three parts. At the equipment exhibition, the military and civil defence sectors will meet, with the Stridsvagn 122 main battle tank, the Stridsfordon 90 combat vehicle and the Archer artillery system displayed alongside items such as field kitchens, backup power generators and emergency water tanks. Voluntary organisations will also be present to show how individuals can contribute to total defence.
The panel discussions will address topics such as total defence in practice, defence commitment, innovation, and the emerging domains of space and cyber. Speakers include Mikael Frisell, Director-General of the Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency (formerly the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency), Carl-Johan Edström, Chief of the Defence Staff, Thierry Carlier, the French Ambassador, and Peter Danielsson, County Governor.
The third part is a careers fair aimed at students. Exhibitors include public sector actors such as the City of Lund, the Swedish Armed Forces, the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), the Swedish Security Service (Säpo) and the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), as well as private companies such as Saab, Knowit, W5 and Combitech, and Amyna, Lund's incubator for defence innovation. The aim is to showcase the breadth of career roles within total defence and to demonstrate that there are pathways in for students from a variety of educational backgrounds.
The initiative is driven by the rapid expansion of total defence. Funding for military defence has more than doubled since 2022, while civil defence funding is set to increase sevenfold by 2028. This development is creating a growing need for skilled personnel, while many students entering the workforce lack a clear picture of how their future careers could contribute to total defence.
Sweden's NATO membership (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) adds a further dimension to this issue. Under Article 3 of the North Atlantic Treaty, each allied nation commits to building and maintaining its own resilience. As a host and transit country for allied units moving eastward, Swedish ports, railways, healthcare services and supply chains simultaneously become significant to the alliance's freedom of movement.
For LAOS, skills supply is therefore a central part of Totalförsvarsexpo. The skills needed to build military and civil resilience are the same skills for which the defence sector competes with the rest of the business community. If more students are to see how they can contribute, the sector also needs to reach them before they have made their career choices.
Being part of total defence is not the same as contributing to it. Only when individuals understand how their own efforts connect to the bigger picture does genuine defence commitment truly take root, something that the Total Defence Expo in Lund will help foster.
Daniel Olsson, Bachelor's Programme in Systems Science, Reserve Officer at P7 (Skaraborg Regiment) and board member of the Lund Academic Officers' Society.