As Sweden begins 2026, one conference has already set the tone for the year: Folk och Försvar, the nation's most important security conference. Having attended alongside colleagues from Swedish Säkerhets branschen, Sweden's security industry organization, I left with a clear conviction: our collective security depends not just on government and military might, but on the innovative solutions often overlooked in startups and smaller enterprises.
NATO Integration and International Strength
The opening message was unambiguous. Swedish military leadership emphasized that Sweden's integration into NATO continues, but more importantly, it's not a passive membership. Sweden is now an active participant in a collective defense framework that fundamentally changes how we approach security.
As Commander-in-Chief Michael Claesson and other military leaders outlined, the question "Can the Swedish Armed Forces handle all these responsibilities?" has a clear answer: "Yes, because we do it together with others." This shift from national self-reliance to international cooperation marks a historic turning point. Sweden no longer patrols the Baltic Sea alone, nor its airspace—French, Polish, and American vessels and aircraft work alongside Swedish forces daily.
Ukraine
Ukraine's Ambassador Svitlana Zalishchuk delivered a sobering reality check. Her message was direct and unapologetic: **the aid coming to Ukraine is too little and arrives too late**. This candor reflects a broader consensus at Folk och Försvar—Ukraine's security is inseparable from European security, and supporting Ukraine is not charity but strategic necessity. We need to do more and faster. Sweden's continued support for Ukraine is important, framed not as humanitarian gesture but as an investment in regional stability. As military leaders stressed, this commitment will remain a core focus.
The Russian Threat: A Timeline We Cannot Ignore
One of the most sobering discussions centered on Russia's military capabilities and intentions. Intelligence assessments presented at the conference suggested that Russia could be positioned to attempt an attack on NATO within a **2–3 year period following any end to the Ukraine war**This timeline demands rapid rearmament and capability building—not eventually, but now. This urgency explains the Swedish government's historic defense investments. The 2025–2030 Total Defence Bill commits **SEK 170 billion to military defence and SEK 37.5 billion to civil defence**, positioning defence spending to reach 2.6 percent of GDP by 2028.[[1]](https://www.government.se/government-policy/total-defence/) These are not incremental increases; they are foundational changes to Sweden's security posture.
Total Defence: Everyone's Responsibility
A recurring theme throughout the conference was "total defence"—the idea that national security depends on government, military, and private sector working in synchronized harmony. The Swedish government, Armed Forces, and business community emphasized the need for increased military capability and civil resilience, with business playing a critical role often underestimated in security planning.[[1]]
This integration is conceptually sound but practically complex. How do you involve thousands of companies—especially smaller ones—in civil contingency planning? How do you ensure that innovation in critical infrastructure protection reaches the companies building tomorrow's solutions?
The Open Society Paradox
A thoughtful discussion at Folk och Försvar grappled with a genuine tension: How can Sweden defend democracy and openness without losing these values in a time of genuine threats? This is not abstract. It touches decisions about surveillance, data protection, corporate responsibility, and where we draw the line between security measures and freedom. Sweden's response has been to push toward *inclusive* security—involving civil society, business, and citizens in the conversation rather than imposing security measures from above.
Tech Companies and Accountability
Police Commissioner Petra Lundh raised an uncomfortable topic: technology companies have not shouldered sufficient responsibility for preventing gang recruitment and radicalization on their platforms. This connects directly to internal security and the role of the private sector in defending open society from within.
It's a call-out that resonates: security is not just about borders and military capability. It's about the platforms where young people are recruited into criminal networks, networks that many times has connections or being funded by state actors, and the companies profiting from those platforms.
The Startup Problem: Innovation at Risk of Being Left Behind
This is where my experience at Folk och Försvar shifted from observation to frustration. Discussions about involving "business" and "industry" in total defence typically conjure images of large defense contractors and established companies. But where were the startups? Where were the smaller firms working on cutting-edge cybersecurity, critical infrastructure resilience, or innovative solutions to emerging threats?
The security challenges Sweden faces demand innovation, yet the structures built to engage the private sector often miss the most agile and creative problem-solvers. Small companies and startups developing innovative solutions frequently find themselves excluded—not by policy, but by institutional inertia and procurement processes designed around established players. This gap motivated me and my colleagues at Swedish Säkerhets branschen to take action.
Immediately following Folk och Försvar, I published a debate article in *Dagens Industri with the titel Cyber Defence Misses Startups – And Thereby the Future*, together with: Pontus Krohn, vd, Nordic Nexus Quantum LLC, tidigare marinofficer
Torbjörn Schön, vd, Echo Alpha AB Edgar Luczak, partner och styrelseordförande, Epicenter Stockholm Jack Melcher-Claësson, head of accellerate, Epicenter Stockholm. Dagens Industri is Sweden's leading financial newspaper, highlighting the risk that innovative small companies and startups are systematically overlooked in national security planning.
The Path Forward
Folk och Försvar 2026 painted a picture of a Sweden that understands the stakes. The investments are serious. The international partnerships are real. The commitment to Ukraine is steadfast. But for these efforts to succeed, Sweden must broaden its aperture.
Total defence works only if it's truly total—if it includes not just established corporations but the startups developing tomorrow's solutions, the smaller companies with specialized expertise, and the entrepreneurs who see problems differently.
The conference set the tone for 2026. Now comes the harder work: ensuring that when we talk about involving "business and industry" in our collective security, we actually mean all of business—including the small companies with big ideas.
Sweden's security depends on it.
