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Collaboration between public regional civil and military agencies play a decisive role in Sweden’s resumed total defence. Yet, previous research on what facilitates cross-sectoral collaboration in the event of an armed attack or war (reinforced alert) is limited. This thesis addresses that research gap by investigating drivers beyond the cross-sectoral collaboration that emerged between regional civil and military agencies during the military exercise Aurora in 2017. It draws on the integrative framework of cross-sectoral collaboration and collaborative governance developed by Emerson and Nabatchi (2015). The research identifies four specific drivers as essential for participants to initially engage in a collaborative endeavour. These drivers (uncertainty, interdependence, consequential incentives and initial leadership) are analysed within an in-depth case study and by using seventeen semi-structured interviews as well as a qualitative textual analysis. The analysis shows how the cross-sectoral collaboration emerged in response to information asymmetries (uncertainty); concerning issues and risks about the military activities that could not be addressed independently (interdependency); with pressures to act collaboratively to gain benefits in terms of adapting to a total defence culture (consequential incentives); and as a consequence of the County Administrative Boards (CABs) bringing the participants together (initial leadership). The thesis concludes that the drivers, together with the Swedish defence and crisis management system, were conducive for the regional civil-military collaboration to emerge.