These are turbulent times in the world, the Swedish Defence Radio Agency (FRA) states in its annual report. The threat picture against Sweden is described as broad, complex and serious.
It is a dangerous time that we are entering, says Björn Lyrvall, who has been Director General of FRA for six years.
The war in Iran means a situation where Iranian security-threatening activities can also be directed at Sweden. Säpo has pointed out that the risk of attacks on American and Israeli targets has increased, and also against Swedish Jews and exiled Iranians.
It is something that we need to follow much more closely and we obviously support the Security Service in terms of that work, says Lyrvall.
FRA also monitors military and political developments in the region and reports to the government.
GPS interference
FRA also describes the war in Ukraine as getting closer. It points to disruptions in satellite navigation in the Baltic Sea, the Russian shadow fleet and military activity in the vicinity.
Over the past year, FRA has reported on how Russian ships and aircraft move in the Baltic Sea and how Russia conducts exercises. Among other things, the giant Russian-Belarusian exercise Zapad was held, and the Baltic countries were fully prepared for it.
Has Russia become more aggressive in its immediate vicinity?
"We have seen examples of violations of NATO countries' airspace, Estonia for example. One could say that the risk appetite regarding Russian actions in the Baltic Sea has increased," says Björn Lyrvall.
Whether FRA itself notices more offensive Russian behavior when it is operating its signals intelligence aircraft and ships is not something the Director General wants to discuss.
But we operate at a safe distance from Russian airspace and, of course, fly in allied and international airspace.
A central part of the threat landscape against Sweden is also attacks in the cyber environment. FRA emphasizes that known vulnerabilities, such as weak passwords, recur year after year.
"It's not good," says Lyrvall.
At the same time, he sees a growing awareness among authorities, companies and municipalities about the importance of cybersecurity and how cyberattacks can cripple a business.
New secret premises
As a result of the deteriorating security situation, FRA is expanding rapidly. In just six years, it has gone from 800 employees to over 1,300.
The agency is also building new and renovating existing premises at secret locations around Sweden.
"We are interested in expanding our presence elsewhere in the country. We have some stations that are better known, and others that are not public," says Lyrvall.
The Swedish Defence Radio Agency (FRA) is part of the Swedish intelligence service.
FRA uses signals intelligence to map foreign conditions that could threaten Sweden, and is also responsible for cybersecurity within Sweden.
Intelligence is provided to the government, the Armed Forces, the Security Service and Noa.
It covers everything from military conflicts and military threats to terrorism, cyberattacks and foreign intelligence activities.
FRA is expanding rapidly. The allocation, which was 1.2 billion in the early 2020s, will increase to over 5 billion in 2028.
Source: FRA
