Swedish defence planning with a focus on CBRN - Future antagonistic CBRN threats

The probability that Sweden will be affected by antagonistic CBRN attacks, in the form of military attacks or subversive activities by state or non-state actors, has increased over the past years. This is largely due to the fact that the norm against the use of chemical weapons has been eroded in recent years, which in the future may be spread to biological and radiological weapons. The fact that nuclear weapons again is considered a real threat also affects this assessment. It is therefore important to increase the understanding of in which form CBRNattacks might appear in the future and how critical parts of our society need to be protected. Assessing the existing CBRN protection level, and to the extent it should be improved is recommended to be a part of the ongoing total defence planning work. This work needs to be done in collaboration between ministries, national authorities, and key players from specific sectors and CBRN experts. Based on the trends the project team has identified in this study, it is recommended that a national strategy for dealing with the antagonistic CBRN threat is formalized in the near future, as well as established and implemented in all parts of the national total defence planning.