In 2018 the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency or MSB (Myndigheten för Samhällsskydd och Beredskap) released a revised version of a household preparedness guide titled ‘If crisis or war comes’ (Om krisen eller kriget kommer). This publication was sent to every household in Sweden at the request of the Swedish Government with MSB responsible for the content.

The original guide ‘If the war comes’ dates to the Second World War. It was prepared by the Swedish military to give household advice should Sweden lose its neutrality through invasion or war. The publication was upheld and issued to the public throughout the Cold War but removed in 1991 when it was considered outdated. The latest version (2018) came in response to the changing international political landscape and the increasing variety of sources of attack. (An English version of the publication can be found here.)

The review of 'If Crisis or War Comes' details Sweden's approach to preparedness and their purposeful involvement of households and communities. Considering Sweden's approach in a UK context, the article asks the question of readiness for preparedness information among UK households and whether collective responses to Covid-19 could signal an increased appetite for ownership of resilience planning at the household level. 

The original article can be found here: https://nationalpreparednesscommission.uk/2021/07/if-crisis-or-war-comes/