Total Defence in the North:
Understanding how NATO’s newest member prepares for the worst
Room 270 Terranga Commons
Carleton University, Ottawa
3 March 2026
1230pm -2pm
Johan Berggren is State Secretary to the Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin. Johan has previously served in a variety of political and nonpolitical roles in the Swedish Government Offices, including as Director of Planning to then Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and as Political Advisor to then Minister for Finance Anders Borg. He has also been an advisor to Quartet Representative Tony Blair and Chief of Staff at the Office of the Quartet in Jerusalem, working on the IsraeliPalestinian peace process. Johan is a published writer and has served as Deputy Director of the Parliamentary Office for The Moderate Party of Sweden and worked as Business Analyst at McKinsey in London. He has a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Oxford, and Master’s degrees from the University of Uppsala and from the College of Europe in Bruges.
Total Defence in the North: Understanding how NATO’s newest member prepares for the worst.
Are our societies ready to handle crisis or war? How can we set ourselves up for successful civil-military cooperation in difficult circumstances? What role do communities, individuals, businesses, and government play in building resilience? The Swedish total defence concept has received much attention and media coverage, but how does it actually work?
Join the presentation by Johan Berggren, State Secretary for Civil Defence at Swedish Ministry of Defence and take part in the discussion with CDSN Co-Director Dr. Philippe Lagassé, BGen Shawn Bindon, Director General Mobilization (Canadian Armed Forces) on preparedness, threat perceptions and civic readiness in Sweden and Canada. Mr Berggren will share Swedish perspectives and Mr Lagassé and BGen Bindon will bring the Canadian context to the table. The speakers will take questions from the audience.
The discussion will be followed by coffee and a light lunch.
This event is presented in collaboration with the Embassy of Sweden in Canada and the Canadian Defence and Security Network.
