From 1 January 2026, MSB will be the Swedish Civil Defence Agency. The agency will receive clearer assignments and a clearer mandate, but initially not directly new tasks.
The task that becomes more difficult for us is that we are the leading, directing and coordinating authority in the entire civil defense system, says Mikael Frisell.
The demands of war
He does not shy away from using the word war and emphasizes that it is the demands of war that set the dimensions for the authority's work. It is a tradition Sweden has had since World War II when brochures were first sent out to the population, he explains.
We talk about what the situation is. We think it's better for citizens to get this feeling that it's actually a serious situation. And that I as a citizen can do things to prepare myself and my family and my workplace.
We start from a worst-case scenario - war. Then we backtrack and then we should be able to handle crises in everyday life as well. We need to look at large, difficult, complex pressures on society.
The authority has an important role in the expanded civilian service, where young people can already be taken to civilian service training next year, primarily for the rescue services, in connection with mustering.
Another important step is the planning for the protection of the civilian population that has been developed - the first since the 1990s. 128 municipalities have been identified as being at higher risk of attack.
Fast forward
Mikael Frisell diplomatically says that they are coming from a low level, but emphasizes that the work of building preparedness is progressing rapidly.
It feels good that we have picked up speed, but compared to how serious the global situation is, we may not be where we should be.
With the name change comes a heraldic coat of arms. It contains a story in itself about the authority's mission.
We have the small national coat of arms, which shows that we are a total defense authority. Then we have the civil servant's staff behind it, which means that we are the leading authority, and a small blue triangle at the bottom of the staff, which shows population protection and civil defense.
At the bottom are oak leaves that grow from the bottom of the office. From society, explains Mikael Frisell.
It's resilient. Robust. I perceive it as being well received. It looks good and sends the signal we want it to send.
On January 1, 2026, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) will change its name to the Swedish Civil Defence Agency.
The government announced the name change in October 2024. The justification is that the new name is more in line with the authority's mission and responsibilities.
The background to the name change is that Sweden is in the most serious security situation since World War II. War and armed attack cannot be ruled out. It is the total defense, the joint ability of civil and military defense, that is war deterrence.
The Civil Defence Authority is the leading, directing and coordinating authority in civil defence. The authority ensures that society is prepared for crisis, heightened alert and war.
Source: msb.se
