Nordic countries ramp up civil defenses

Ashraf Gaber
Ashraf Gaber - CEO & Editor in Chief
4 Min Read

Sweden: Siltanews – News Desk
Russia’s war in Ukraine has made the security situation in the Baltic region more tensed.

The Nordic countries Russia’s doorstep have already taken notable steps to improve their military strength, increasing defense budgets and, in Finland and Sweden’s case, joining NATO. However, in war, military capabilities aren’t the only thing that matters; civil defense and the preparedness of regular citizens are also important.

Finland, Sweden and Norway have all issued updated preparedness guides to their citizens. Finland has issued theirs in a digital format, while Norway and Sweden are sending physical copies of instructions to all households.

The guides are meant for extreme weather events, pandemics and potential conflicts. They touch on several topics, such as having a week’s worth of water and food supplies, how to act in case of an evacuation and how to deal with power failures.

The titles of Finland’s and Norway’s guides are more broadly focused on emergency situations — Finland’s is “Preparing for incidents and crises,” and Norway’s is “How you can play your part in Norway’s emergency preparedness.”

Sweden’s title, on the other hand, emphasizes the possibility of a conflict: “In case of crisis or war.” The guide states that in uncertain times when armed conflicts are currently being waged in their corner of the world, terrorism, cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns are being used to undermine and influence Sweden.

“To resist these threats, we must stand united. If Sweden is attacked, everyone must do their part to defend Sweden’s independence — and our democracy,” reads the introduction to “In case of crisis or war.”

Mikael Frisell, the director-general of the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, explained in a press release that the national security situation in the country has changed drastically, and they all need to strengthen their resilience to various crises and, ultimately, war.

Sweden put mandatory military service on pause in 2010 but reactivated it in 2017. Finland and Norway have had compulsory military conscription for decades.

Preparing for emergencies is nothing new for Nordic countries. These guides date back to World War II and the Cold War, and these new releases serve as an update to already existing information.

Jussi Korhonen, Finland’s director of civil preparedness, told DW that despite no direct military threat toward Finland or other Scandinavian countries, the global security situation has become more unstable and difficult to predict. That is why these preparedness guides are important to keep up to date.

“The preparedness of the population takes a long time. It’s not a project. It’s a process where you must have a certain level of preparedness to combat different kinds of incidents,” Korhonen explained.

Around 400,000 people have already downloaded the Finnish guide. According to Korhonen, 60% of Finns are already prepared and have acquired their home emergency supplies, like three days’ worth of food and water. “The aim is also to get the remaining 40% to acquire home emergency supplies,” he said.

He added that studies show young adults are the least prepared, while people living in rural areas are best prepared for emergencies.

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Ashraf Gaber
By Ashraf Gaber CEO & Editor in Chief
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Ashraf Gaber, the Editor in Chief & CEO of Silta News He's an Egyptian Thinker and Columnist, working and living between Dubai, Cairo and Zurich.
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