The agency’s main task is to lead efforts to coordinate and develop the operations of agencies and other actors within Sweden’s psychological defence. We offer support to agencies, municipalities, regions, companies and organisations, and help to strengthen the resilience of the Swedish population.

The Psychological Defence Agency shall identify, analyse and provide support in countering malign information influence and other misleading information that is directed at Sweden or Swedish interests by antagonistic foreign powers. This can concern disinformation aimed at weakening Sweden’s resilience and the willingness of the population to defend itself, or unduly influencing people’s perceptions, behaviours and decision-making.

Sweden’s psychological defence

Psychological defence is society’s common capabilities for detecting and resisting malign information influence directed at Sweden by antagonistic foreign powers.

Our mission covers external information influence that is directed at Sweden with the aim of harming Swedish interests. The purpose of psychological defence is to safeguard freedom of expression and open and democratic society.

Malign information influence is information that is deliberately disseminated by antagonistic foreign powers. The information relies on people disseminating it further. Information is often disseminated online and over social media. The purpose of disseminating the information is to influence a population’s beliefs, its behaviour and its decisions. It creates instability in society and can undermine confidence in democracy and society’s functions. When Sweden is vulnerable, it will be easier for antagonistic foreign powers to harm our country. With the help of information influence, they can exploit society’s vulnerabilities to achieve their goals, without having to resort to military means.

Together we reinforce resilience

We build up Sweden’s psychological defence together. In order to reinforce psychological defence, we need to improve knowledge about what malign information influence is. We achieve this by educating agencies, municipalities, regions, civil society, other organisations and the Swedish population. When knowledge and awareness improve, the risk of being influenced also diminishes, which reinforces our society.

Detecting, preventing and counteracting threats

We also work on preventing, detecting and counteracting information influence operations from antagonistic foreign powers that could pose a threat to Sweden or Swedish interests.

We identify and analyse information influence from antagonistic foreign powers that is directed at Sweden or Swedish interests, and provide suggestions and support on responding to it. We also develop methods and techniques to identify hostile foreign actors and their information influence techniques.

We cooperate with other authorities and networks, both internationally and in Sweden, including the Swedish Armed Forces, the Swedish Security Service, the Swedish Police Authority and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency.