The Hybrid Threats Research Group is an interdisciplinary initiative based at the Swedish Defence University, linking scholars and practitioners from political science, strategic communication, war and defence studies, cybersecurity, influence operations, intelligence, and area studies. Our mission is to advance the capacity to identify, analyse and respond to hybrid threats—where conventional and unconventional tactics converge to test social, political and technological resilience.
Guided by a steering group with members from the Swedish Defence University, Lund University and the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, and supported by a worldwide network of affiliates, we foster international collaboration to build knowledge that supports governments and key societal actors.
Our research focuses on five interconnected themes:
- Modern Warfare – examining how technological change reshapes conflict and defence strategy.
- Hybrid Threats – exploring the blended tactics of state and non-state actors that erode traditional defence mechanisms.
- Strategic Intelligence – strengthening the collection, analysis and application of intelligence to anticipate threats.
- Psychological Defence – building societal resilience against disinformation and influence operations across peace, crisis and war.
- Defence Systems – bridging social science and engineering to integrate technical and human factors in effective defence solutions.
Through targeted research projects, workshops and seminars, HTRG provides a creative environment for research training, professional development and evidence-based policy advice. We welcome collaboration with academia, government, and industry partners committed to understanding and countering the complex security challenges of today’s interconnected world.
HTRG steering group:
Docent Dr. Mikael Weissmann, Senior Lecturer in Systems Science for Defence and Security and Associate Professor in War Studies
Department of Systems Science for Defence and Security, Swedish Defence University
Docent Dr. Niklas Nilsson, Associate Professor in War Studies
Department of War Studies and the Centre for Total Defence and Societal Security (CTSS), Swedish Defence University
Björn Palmertz, Senior Advisor
Psychological Defence Research Institute (PDRI), Lund University
Dr. Johan Engvall, Acting Head of Research and Analysis
Centre for East European Studies, Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI)