The main objectives of the exercise are:
- to protect vital community functions
- to protect the civilian population
- to resist an armed attack on Sweden.
Summary
- Sweden is reinforcing the national defence capability
- the total defence exercise is a vital part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen our defence
- this is the first Total Defence Exercise since the Cold War
- the exercise is led by the Swedish Armed Forces and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB)
- more than 60 government agencies and other key stakeholders as well as municipalities and regions participate in the exercise
- various voluntary organisations also participate in the exercise
- the exercise involves all levels of the total defence concept – national, regional and local
- the exercise comprises several exercise activities, and started in November 2019 and will continue throughout 2020 and finish in 2021.
Theme
During the Total Defence Exercise 2020 the participants are training how essential services and vital functions will be sustained and running during crises alert and war and how this is done in cooperation with others. They are also training civil and military chains of command at all levels and before and after crises alert. Another important part is to create situational awareness for their own organization and together with others with the aim to prioritize and allocate resources to where they are needed the most.
The exercise also consists of elements to coordinate communication to the civilianpopulation and to identify enemy information operations.