From Europe to Asia, governments increasingly believe that preparing for war cannot be left to soldiers alone. Civilians need to know what to do when the internet goes down, electricity grids are knocked out, hospitals fill up, or people need to evacuate. Societies also need to know how to withstand cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns.
The concept goes by different names, such as “total defense” in Sweden, “comprehensive security” in Finland and “whole-of-society defense resilience” in Taiwan. But the principle is the same: citizens need to be prepared and resilient in times of conflict — and that conflict could come sooner rather than later.
Europe on edge. Since the war in Ukraine began, experts say Russia has expanded its so-called “shadow war” against Europe – with drones entering European airspace, suspected cyberattacks on infrastructure and sabotage of power grids and undersea cables. In response, many northern European countries are revving up their civilian defense.
Sweden is spending roughly $1.7 billion over the next two years on measures such as medical stockpiles, protective shelters, food and drinking water security, and preparedness for municipalities and regional governments. Finland, which neighbors Russia, has long tasked its government, businesses, and civil society organizations with the responsibility of keeping society functioning in the event of a war, but is now expanding that approach to prepare for other “disruptions and crises,” such as infrastructure sabotage or cyberattacks.
Countries closest to Russia are also preparing to work together in the event a crisis spills over their borders. In March, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Poland, and others agreed to coordinate evacuation routes and border crossings, transportation capacity, and places to house displaced populations. The European Commission wants to adapt elements of the Nordic model across the EU but faces resistance, in part because populations in southern and western European nations are farther from a potential “front line” with Russia and worry less about its threat.
Anxiety in Asia. Growing aggression and “gray zone tactics,” including cyberattacks and naval exercises in disputed waters by China, as well as increased ballistic missile tests and naval buildup by North Korea, are driving a similar effort across Asia. In 2024, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te established a “whole-of-society” defense effort that focuses on training civilians, stockpiling and distributing critical supplies, protecting energy and infrastructure, and preparing hospitals, social services and shelters.
South Korea has long included civilians in its defense planning. It has maintained a Civil Defense Corps since the Korean War, mainly composed of men who have completed mandatory military service. Seoul recently stepped up those preparations as tensions with North Korea have risen, resuming nationwide civil defense and military exercises in 2023 after a five-year pause and adding new scenarios to prepare for, including GPS disruptions and cyberattacks.
Other Asian countries are following suit. In May, Singapore launched the Volunteer Defense Force, with plans to create 400 new civilian positions and expand its pool of military reservists and civilian volunteers in the next few years. In 2025, the Philippines held a joint exercise involving military and civilian participants while tensions with Beijing intensified in the South China Sea.
A recipe for deterrence. Together, these efforts reflect a broader shift in national defense. For decades after the Cold War, most Western countries treated security as the responsibility of their armed forces. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, rising tensions with China and North Korea, coupled with the rise of cyberwarfare, drones, sabotage and disinformation campaigns, has changed the game.
The rise of the citizen soldier is therefore less about putting civilians in uniform than preparing societies for disruption. And preparedness itself can be a deterrent: the harder a society is to disrupt, the less attractive a target it becomes.
