Logotyp: till Försvarshögskolans hemsida

This study examines how the Swedish Armed Forces and the Swedish Psychological Defence Agency construct information influence as a security threat in their official documents. As actors like Russia increasingly use information influence in modern conflicts, these Swedish agencies play key roles in defining and addressing the threat. The study is conducted through a qualitative discourse analysis, where the theoretical framework includes discourse and security discourse theories, focusing on how threats are framed. The findings show that both institutions use terms such as propaganda, disinformation, and deception to reinforce the perception of information influence as a serious security threat. The Swedish Armed Forces primarily stress its implications for state security and military conflict, while the Swedish Psychological Defence Agency focuses on its psychological effects on individuals and society at large. Furthermore, the results indicate that both agencies construct their threat perceptions based on three key categories: the target audience, the sender, and the context in which the influence occurs. These categories function as analytical lenses through which threats are identified, interpreted, and addressed in policy and strategic communication.