Economic Defence: An overview of concepts and threat scenarios
Publish date: 2025-03-31
Report number: FOI-R--5616--SE
Pages: 68
Written in: Swedish
Keywords:
- economic security
- economic defence
- economic warfare
- geoeconomics
- hybrid threats
- total defence
Abstract
This report explores the connection between economy and security. As a point of departure, the report provides an overview of central concepts and their meaning, such as economic warfare, economic statecraft and geoeconomics. The purpose of the report is to provide a deeper understanding of the consequences for strategic threat analysis when the classic threat of total defence planning, i.e. war, is widened to include threats emanating from global geoeconomical developments, economic warfare and hybrid threats. The analysis takes into account the strategic conclusions drawn within the EU and NATO in relation to economic security, stressing the importance of connecting the development of a national economic defence with related international concepts of economic security. At the same time, the report also discusses how unique national economic aspects, rooted in history, geography and administrative structure, also needs to be considered in the context of total defence as well as economic security.