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This bachelor's thesis examines how the continued development of Swedish Total Defence was justified in the political process leading up to the 1987 Defence Decision. The study is based on three central primary sources: SOU 1985:23 Svensksäkerhetspolitik inför 90-talet, SOU 1987:9 Det svenska totalförsvaret inför 90-talet, and Government Bill 1986/87:95, Totalförsvarets fortsatta utveckling. Through qualitative textual analysis, the thesis investigates how the security environment was portrayed, which threats to Sweden were emphasized, and which arguments were used to justify the continued development of Total Defence. The analysis is informed by realism and securitization theory.

The results show that the arguments for continued development were based on both continuity and adaptation. Sweden’s fundamental security policy objectives remained largely unchanged, including military non-alignment, national independence, and the need for a credible defence capability. At the same time, developments in military technology, shorter warning times, Sweden’s strategic geographic position, supply vulnerabilities, and dependence on functioning civilian infrastructure created a need for adaptation. The argumentation also became increasingly concrete between 1985 and 1987: the initial security policy problem formulation was gradually translated intorequirements for preparedness, resilience, coordination, and military modernization.The study therefore concludes that the development of Swedish Total Defence wasprimarily justified as an adaptation of means within a largely continuous security policy framework, rather than as a fundamental change in Sweden’s defence doctrine.