Sweden Prepares Citizens for War: A Week's Worth of Food, Cash and a Radio in Every Home

Sweden, like its Nordic neighbours, is betting on comprehensive societal resilience against military and other threats. This was explained by Sweden's Defence Minister Pål Jonson in an interview following his appearance last week at the Prague Defence Summit.

According to him, Sweden's "total defence" concept is divided into 12 sectors — ranging from energy and food production to healthcare and banking. "Total defence is a whole-of-society effort," the minister stressed.

What Every Swedish Household Should Have

Crisis preparedness, the Nordics believe, begins with the individual. That's why the Swedish government has for years been sending households across the country a leaflet with instructions for a worst-case scenario.

"People are expected to keep at least a seven-day supply of food at home, cash so they're not entirely dependent on electronic payments, as well as a radio, batteries and similar essentials. That's the baseline level of readiness," Jonson explained.

The minister noted that Swedish society has taken the return of the total defence concept in stride, without panic. He said that investment in the armed forces and civil defence is made purely to preserve peace: the better prepared a country is, the less attractive a target it becomes for an adversary.

Russian Activity and Lessons from Ukraine

Jonson confirmed that Sweden is seeing an increase in Russian hybrid operations and intensified Russian intelligence activity directed against Sweden and its allies. Moscow, he said, shows particular interest in Sweden's defence industry and in the support Stockholm provides to Ukraine.

After Germany linked a failed drone attack on Leipzig airport to Russia, Sweden's prime minister and justice minister held a joint press conference condemning Moscow's actions, and the Russian ambassador in Stockholm was summoned.

The minister said the war in Ukraine has shown just how vital everyday resilience is: a functioning internet, timely salary payments, uninterrupted electricity supply, and even punctual train schedules all make a country a harder target for an adversary.

The Czech CV90 Armoured Vehicle Contract

The minister also commented on the Czech Republic's purchase of 246 CV90 infantry fighting vehicles worth nearly 60 billion koruna. The contract was signed three years ago, but it still hasn't been decided who will service the vehicles throughout their entire lifecycle in the Czech army.

Jonson said he isn't privy to all the details of the negotiations and expects the matter to be resolved by Sweden's defence procurement agency. He nonetheless stressed that Sweden is proud the Czech Republic chose the CV90, calling it the best infantry fighting vehicle in the world — a rating, he added, that Ukrainian soldiers share as well.

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz