Growing pains - Securing the skills needed to rebuild Sweden's civilian defence

With the approval of the Total Defence Bill 2021-25, Sweden has intensified its efforts to rebuild the country's civil defence capability. The financial reinforcements announced in the bill, alongside other major policy developments such as a proposed new structure for civil defence, are expected to lead to an increased demand for personnel that can carry out preparedness planning. This report concludes that Sweden's civil defence is likely to suffer some degree of growing pains in the coming years. There are however a range of measures that can be implemented in order to ensure that these growing pains don't hinder the development of a system that is fit for purpose. Swedish authorities may for example need to build organisations that can handle a high staff turnover and work more strategically to ensure transfer of organisational memory. Policy-makers must meanwhile deliver on promises to ensure cohesive governance of the total defence system.