Sweden’s “total defense” duty
Sweden’s total defense duty is made up of three parts: military, civil and common service (allmän tjänsteplikt).
1. As for the first component, foreign citizens can’t serve in the military, but people with dual nationality where one of the nationalities is Swedish, can.
2. The civil duty, or civilian conscription, is currently ‘deactivated’ and not in use. The civil duty could mean working as a firefighter or working with to ensure the power grid is functioning. In the past when it was active, by default, this was for people with Swedish citizenship.
3. “Common service”, means that everyone of eligible age living in Sweden, no matter the nationality, can be required to do something to support the country so that important parts of society can function during crisis or war. These are supposed to be jobs that similar to what people usually work with on a daily basis. On the Swedish Defense Conscription and Assessment Agency’s website, it gives a few examples, such as cooking, taking care of children, transporting water etc etc.