Russia will pose the most serious threat to Sweden’s security until 2030.
It is laid down in the government’s new national security strategy.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) and national security adviser Henrik Landerholm present the new strategy at a press conference. The strategy must, among other things, be a guide when trade-offs between different societal interests must be made.
– It is important to prioritize the right things at the right time, says Kristersson.
He emphasizes that much must be done to strengthen security and that it is urgent.
“In the current security situation, the threat to Sweden is broad and serious,” the government writes in the strategy. There, the assessment is also made that the deteriorated security situation will last for a foreseeable time, and that there is a risk that it will deteriorate further.
The strategy identifies three focus areas for work with national security.
The first concerns the protection against external threats. Although Russia has suffered heavy losses, Russia’s military strength remains significant, the strategy states.
The second focus area is about protecting democracy and social cohesion, including the fight against system-threatening organized crime and violent extremism.
The shadow society, where many people are outside society’s safety net and without contact with the public, “can in itself constitute a security threat”, according to the strategy.
It also states that large migration flows pose a risk as people with antagonistic intentions may come along. The risk is also that migrants are used as tools to create instability and that they can be used as a means of putting pressure on Sweden, the strategy states.
– Internal and external security belong together. There are strong connections. Foreign powers want to take advantage of the fact that there are people with violent capital in Sweden, says Kristersson.
According to Landerholm, we must be prepared for more of that stuff.
The third focus area is about strengthening Sweden’s resilience, securing competitiveness and supply readiness.
The old national security strategy was drawn up by the previous S-led government in 2017.
