MUST is both a foreign intelligence and a military security/counterintelligence agency. In its intelligence role, MUST is responsible for providing intelligence on foreign threats to theGovernment of Sweden and theSwedish Armed Forces. However, signals intelligence is handled by a separate civilian agency operated by the Ministry of Defence, theSwedish National Defence Radio Establishment (FRA), which is not part of MUST.
MUST is legally prohibited from gathering intelligence on Swedish domestic affairs, except in its more narrowly defined role a counter-intelligence agency tasked with identifying threats to the armed forces, such as sabotage, espionage, or infiltration. Domestic security and civilian counterintelligence in non-military contexts are handled by theSwedish Security Service (SÄPO), the civilian equivalent agency to MUST.
Tasked with acquiringstrategic intelligence for Central Command and Ministry of Defence decision-making, as well as aiding deployed Swedish military units.
The currentDirector of MUST is Major GeneralThomas Nilsson. Even though MUST is technically a part of the military, a majority of its staff is civilian.[2]
