Businesses play a crucial role in building resilience by providing society with critical goods and services – in everyday life, in times of disruption, and ultimately in times of war. Paired with a volatile geopolitical environment, Sweden urgently needs to accelerate businesses’ preparedness.  

The trend shows a slight improvement in total defence capabilities, but the slow pace is alarming. Many decision-makers are unsure how their businesses can contribute. I see an urgent need to take action to build broader resilience, but also a more collaboration at local, regional and national levels. Robust preparedness is crucial for the stability of both society and businesses, says Jessica Öberg, CEO of Combitech.

Lack of clarity slows progress

Seven in ten business leaders are calling for clearer guidelines from the government and public authorities on how businesses can contribute to total defence. This lack of guidance creates uncertainty and prevents companies from taking necessary steps toward increased preparedness. The interviews reinforce these results: business leaders point to conflicting priorities between the prevailing just-in-time mindset and the need for stockpiling and redundancy.

Differences between sectors, companies, and preparedness areas

The report also highlights how preparedness capabilities vary across different sectors and company sizes. Only 4 per cent of smaller companies have a contingency plan to manage societal crises, while larger companies are slightly better prepared. Sectors such as warehousing, logistics and transportation have made the most progress in their preparedness efforts. 

Cybersecurity continues to dominate preparedness discussions, with 68 per cent of business leaders focusing on this topic. Only one in four respondents state that their company is prepared to manage pressures such as war or terrorism.

Engagement is high – But action is lacking broadly  

Despite the alarming figures, the report also points to a positive trend – 74 per cent of business leaders want to learn more about preparedness, and 52 per cent have either started reviewing their preparedness or plan to do so. The uptake of knowledge via The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) has also increased significantly, by 13 per cent compared to 2024.

The results in brief 

• Only 11 per cent of decision-makers have contingency plans. 
• Only 30 per cent of businesses agree that there is clarity from the government and public authorities on businesses’ role in total defence.  
• 57 per cent consider total defence to be relevant in their professional role. 
• 74 per cent want to learn more about preparedness for businesses. 
• 52 per cent have reviewed or are planning to review their preparedness. 
• 68 per cent have preparedness to manage cybersecurity threats.  

Access the Total Defence Report

You can find the report here (in Swedish).

About the Total Defence Report 

Since 2023, Combitech has conducted an annual survey on how the business sector's preparedness capabilities have developed. The survey is conducted via Demoskop's Decision-Maker Panel and is based on responses from decision-makers in the Swedish private sector.  

In 2025, 547 respondents participated in the survey and 11 participants in the in-depth interviews. Data collection was conducted in March 2025.

For more information, please contact: 

Ulrica Matsers, Head of Communications and Marketing, Combitech 

Phone: +46 73 446 00 70, Email: ulrica.matsers@combitech.com