“Our willingness to defend ourselves is in our minds,” Sweden's Minister for Civil Defence, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, said in a statement. “States and state-like actors are constantly trying to undermine confidence in Swedish society. Sweden and the Swedish population must be able to withstand those who seek to harm Sweden and Swedish interests by weakening trust in our society and creating division.”

The strategy presents four overarching goals for psychological defence: working against improper disinformation; strengthening the public's willingness to defend the country, improving the media's preparedness and its ability to reach the public, international cooperation, particularly within the EU and Nato.

It also aims integrate psychological defence more closely with Sweden's overall system of total defence – which includes both civil defence and the armed forces.

Along with the strategy, the government has issued new instructions to the Psychological Defence Agency, asking it report on its main current activities, requirements and areas of cooperation with other agencies and propose ways to integrate them in the national system of total defence.

The agency has also been asked to consult with the Swedish Institute, the Swedish Civil Defence Agency (MCF) and the Swedish Armed Forces on strategic communication for psychological defence, and also to deepen cooperation with the Swedish Armed Forces, the Swedish Military Intelligence Service and the Swedish Security Service to strengthen protection against undue information influence.

It has been asked to deepen its collaboration with the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) at the Swedish Defence Radio Institute to increase its ability to identify and manage connections between cyberattacks and attempts at information influence.

Finally, it has been asked to propose ways for Swedish authorities to join work within the EU and Nato on psychological defence.

The agency, together with the Swedish Civil Defence Agency, the Swedish Armed Forces and the Swedish Defence Conscription and Assessment Agency, has also been instructed to develop proposals for strengthening public support for Sweden’s defence.

Meanwhile, the Civil Defence Agency will be asked to expand support for media companies’ emergency preparedness, working with the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority and the Swedish Media Authority.

Bohlin said a central part of the work was to promote the US of AI-based tools for psychological defence.