European Union Launched Psychological Defense Program
Government officials completed a training initiative to combat foreign information manipulation.
Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in Safety
The European Centre for Democratic Resilience and the Swedish Psychological Defence Agency concluded a capacity-building program on September 11, 2026. The initiative provided government officials with tools to identify and counter foreign information interference.
Why it matters
The program aims to upskill officials across European Union member states to strengthen long-term resilience against coordinated foreign influence operations. By training leaders to teach others, the initiative seeks to create a sustainable defense network across the region.
Participants completed a 5-day intensive curriculum focused on influence operations and pedagogical methodologies. The training leveraged Sweden's national defense model to build capabilities for detecting foreign information manipulation.
The players
European Centre for Democratic Resilience
This organization works to support democratic institutions and enhance societal resilience against internal and external threats.
Swedish Psychological Defence Agency
This government authority is responsible for coordinating and developing activities to identify and counter foreign influence operations against Sweden.
The details
The curriculum focused on threat identification, analysis of specific case studies, and the creation of teaching modules for participants to use in their home nations. These officials are now expected to lead independent training activities to scale up regional preparedness against external manipulation.
Timeline
September 2026: The Train the Trainers programme launched.
September 7 to September 11, 2026: The first edition of the training took place.
November 2026: A second edition of the training is scheduled.
Seasonal Patterns
This program aligns with the strategic objectives outlined in the European Union's Action Plan against Disinformation. It follows a pattern of increasing institutional focus on regional psychological defense as foreign manipulation tactics continue to evolve.
The program emphasizes the need for government agencies to prioritize the identification of information threats to maintain public trust. Officials involved are now tasked with implementing these defensive protocols within their respective national structures.
The takeaway
Building a resilient society requires standardized training that equips officials with the pedagogical tools to identify sophisticated influence campaigns. This approach moves beyond theoretical analysis, focusing instead on practical training that can be scaled across diverse national systems.
What happens next
A second edition of the Train the Trainers program is scheduled to take place in November 2026.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest initiatives in Safety.
