In this podcast from the Academy of War Sciences' project SV-AR ahead of the project's final report in autumn 2025, members Lars-Erik Lundin and Michael Sahlin discuss the security policy challenges that characterise the Swedish and international debate. The starting point is a time of change ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections and a political agenda where questions about intelligence operations, crisis management and government responsibility recur. Current investigations and prominent voices illustrate the breadth of issues, from the intelligence work of the armed forces to debates on editorial pages and in social media about the EU budget, etc.

Lundin and Sahlin describe a development where the boundaries between different policy areas such as foreign, development aid and defence policy have been loosened, and where the security policy landscape now includes both military and civilian components. The review includes examples from contemporary Swedish history, including the handling of the Palme assassination and the tsunami, which highlight the difference between previous crises and the current situation where the scope and complexity have increased.

Geographical perspectives are given special attention. After 2014, the East-West dimension has become dominant in the Swedish security debate, but according to Lundin and Sahlin, the importance of paying attention to North-South issues also remains. This is of particular importance through the war in Ukraine and issues surrounding Swedish preparedness within the framework of NATO and the EU. It is emphasized that Sweden's entry into NATO has brought an increased number of issues on the security policy agenda. The discussion also includes NATO's global security perspective and how changes in American policy can affect the alliance.

Lundin and Sahlin identify five factors as particularly relevant:

  1. The possibility of global system collapse, with potentially cascading effects between different societal domains.
  2. Shifts in the distribution of power between the Global West, East and South and the roles that different actors and groups play within the international system.
  3. The importance of technological developments, especially in AI, with its consequences for productivity and the labor market.
  4. Society's capacity for civil defense and the management of migration and hybrid challenges across national borders.
  5. The economic consequences of increased defense spending and changed government finances, with particular focus on debt levels and international cooperation.

The discussion also highlights the connections between national, European and global levels. It discusses how supply issues, redundancy and dependencies must be handled, as well as the role that the EU and NATO have in the overall security work. Finally, the need for a systematic and adaptive framework for resilience in society is touched upon – an issue that is considered to be relevant for a long time to come.

Through Lundin and Sahlins' conversation, the listener receives an overview of the current state of affairs in security policy in 2025. The podcast offers in-depth orientation on the central issues for both decision-makers and the interested public.