Common defence

The idea of common (total) defence — understood as the combined effort of all state institutions, but also of non-governmental organisations, businesses and ordinary citizens, in defending against an invader — is the defence doctrine of the Scandinavian countries, Switzerland and many other smaller states.

In the days of the Second Polish Republic, when the reborn Polish state had to face the Red Army onslaught, everyone who could bear arms joined the fight to keep the country's independence. Those who could not fight helped however they could. By common effort the country was defended against the invader.

On the modern battlefield, saturation with advanced equipment matters greatly — but the example of Ukraine fighting for its survival shows just how much the widespread engagement of citizens in defence counts.

A well-organised, trained and armed society can be one of the elements of a deterrence system.