Our will to defend is between our ears, says Carl-Oskar Bohlin, speaking of both the will to defend Sweden and the ability to resist messages and actors who want to weaken that will.
As examples of when "states and state-like actors" have tried to sow division and reduce trust in society, he cites the Koran burnings, the campaign against social services regarding the care of children, and actions against Sweden's accession to NATO.
Taken aback
I would say that when the disinformation campaign against social services began sometime in 2022, people were probably a bit taken aback, says Bohlin, who believes that the experience has strengthened the ability and conditions to face similar attempts.
According to the minister, the strategy should be a "steering wheel" for authorities working with psychological defense.
A central part is to strengthen the use of AI-based tools, and the Psychological Defence Agency will be tasked, among other things, with deepening cooperation with several authorities, such as the National Cyber Security Centre.
National elections are usually an important target for actors who want to divide and influence the outcome. Carl-Oskar Bohlin sees no acute risk that the Swedish elections to the Riksdag, municipalities and regions on September 13 will be subject to attempts at influence.
That should not be ruled out, of course. But I should not exaggerate any concerns or in any way create a lack of confidence in the election, because what is important is to emphasize that Sweden has one of the world's most secure electoral systems.
Take a break
Even if the system is secure, there may still be a risk that actors want to make voters distrust it and Sweden as a society in general, by "taking advantage" of an event and distorting messages, Bohlin points out. This happened in connection with the Koran burnings.
It created a threat and a problem for Sweden and for Sweden's interests, says Bohlin.
