Campus Total Defence – a collaboration to enhance knowledge and skills of defence sector stakeholders
Campus Total Defence is a strategic collaboration between Swedish universities aiming to strengthen the Swedish total defence organisation through tailored courses and research.
‘Total defence’ is the name of all activities that are vital to society and required in the event of a state of heightened alert and war. Total defence consists of two areas – military defence and civil defence. Civil defence includes individuals, government authorities, businesses, and organisations. Together, these actors must ensure the continuity of societal functions even in a state of heightened alert and war, among other things by protecting civilians, safeguarding the most important societal functions, maintaining necessary supplies and resources, and contributing to the military defence’s capability in the event of armed attacks or war in the world around us.
The initiative was developed by the Swedish Defence University, Örebro University and Luleå University in response to changes in the security policy landscape in Sweden and Europe and the need for a stronger Swedish total defence organisation. It is supported by a number of key actors in both the public and private sector.
Campus Total Defence brings together academia, public authorities, industry, and civil society to create a robust platform for education, research, and innovation. It collectively contributes the knowledge and expertise needed to meet current and future national security challenges.
By offering tailored courses, developing new research, and creating conditions for innovation, universities across the country collaborate in areas that will benefit defence capabilities, such as protective security, crisis management, AI, healthcare, food supply, and robust energy systems. The goal is to create a range of courses that will provide skills enhancement and training for personnel in various branches of the defence sector nationwide.
Campus Total Defence is led by a steering group consisting of the vice-chancellors of the founding higher education institutions as well as other representatives from the higher education sector and public authorities.