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MILITARY

Danish government tops up defence spending to meet Nato target

The Danish government has earmarked an additional 4.9 billion kroner for spending on defence to permanently meet a target set by Nato for member countries.

Published: 7 November 2023 15:18 CET
Danish government tops up defence spending to meet Nato target
Denmark's government on Tuesday presented its "2030 plan" covering various aspects of state spending in the coming years. Photo: Emil Nicolai Helms/Ritzau Scanpix

The defence alliance stipulates that its member nations should spend 2 percent of their GDP on their militaries.

A plan for government spending until 2030, presented by the finance minister Nicolai Wammen on Tuesday, sets aside 4.9 billion kroner of additional spending which would see Denmark comply with the target.

“If we look out at the world, we see a very unsteady picture. That’s why it’s important to say that with the heightened security situation we are seeing in Europe, Denmark must take its share of the responsibility,” Wammen said.

“The world and Europe were changed when Putin started his terrible war against Ukraine. This isn’t only about Ukraine, it’s about all of us. The Ukrainians are fighting for all of us and for democracy,” he continued.

Existing budgeting would see Denmark comply with the Nato target in 2023 and 2024, with the new spending securing the necessary amounts from 2025 onwards.

A parliamentary majority has already voted through a spending plan for the military this year. The broad political deal was finalised in June, covering the period 2024 to 2033.

The long-term deal secures 150 billion kroner of spending on military over the coming decade, while the new, additional 5 billion kroner broadens its budget by 2.9 billion kroner in 2028 and 2.0 billion kroner in 2029, according to news wire Ritzau.

More funds will also be poured into a special Ukraine pool, a billion-kroner fund that was agreed on and presented by parliament in March. The aim of the fund is to provide for Denmark’s military support of Ukraine as it defends itself against the Russian invasion.

The new 2030 plan, presented Tuesday, puts an additional 23.5 billion kroner in total into the fund, with that amount distributed between 2025 and 2027.

“By raising the defence budget and Ukraine fund, Denmark will live up to its responsibility to help Ukraine, and we will fulfil our obligations towards our allies in Nato by reaching 2 percent of GDP all the way to 2030.

“That is a significant investment in security in Denmark and Europe,” Wammen said.

“There is nothing to suggest the war in Ukraine will be over in just a moment,” the minister also remarked.

“Regardless of how long it lasts, I also think there comes a time after a war, in which it will be necessary to rebuild Ukraine’s defences and security,” he said.

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MILITARY

Seven in ten Danes ‘fear attack’ on critical digital infrastructure

A significant number of people in Denmark are concerned about the possibility of cyber attacks on critical digital infrastructure, a new analysis has concluded.

Published: 2 July 2024 16:13 CEST
Seven in ten Danes 'fear attack' on critical digital infrastructure

A cyber-attack on critical structure such as phone networks or power supplies is a concern for a high number of people in Denmark, according to an analysis by the institute Analyse Danmark on behalf of the Danish Society of Engineers (IDA).

In the survey of 2,000 people, around seven in ten said that, to either “some”, “high” or “very high” extent, a concerned by a cyber-attack by foreign actors on mobile or internet connections, endangering things like heating and electricity.

In June, the Danish Emergency Management Service (Beredsskabstyrelsen, DEMA) on June 15th issued advice for the general public to have certain supplies at home so that they are prepared in the event of a crisis. This can mean natural events like extreme weather or human acts like cyber attacks or sabotage, DEMA said.

Around one in four have since ensured they comply with the guidelines.

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Electricity and internet are obvious targets for hackers to attempt to disrupt, IDA’s expert in IT security, Jørn Guldberg, said in a press release.

“Denmark is one of the most digitalised countries in the world and much of our critical infrastructure will therefore be an obvious target. This means we should always be a step ahead of the hackers and that we must protect ourselves better than we do today,” he said.

“In contrast to the attacks in which criminals try to earn money in some way, these destructive attacks only have the intention of destruction,” he explained.

“For example, data or software could be the target,” he said.

In the survey of 2,048 Danes aged 18-70, participants were asked whether they had become more concerned about the security of national infrastructure as a result of the situation in Ukraine, which has been defending itself against a Russian invasion since February 2022.

Some 69 percent in total said they were concerned about Denmark’s digital infrastructure to either “some”, “high” or “very high” extent, while 71 percent in total said the same about energy supplies including electricity and heating.

“If the internet was hit, there would be big consequences for all of us. It could paralyse a digital country like Denmark badly and more or less cause chaos in most people’s lives,” he said.

Authorities in June raised the threat level for destructive cyber-attacks against Denmark from “low” to “medium”.

Peter Viggo Jakobsen, Associate Professor at the Royal Danish Defence College told The Local last month that a breakdown of the electrical grid “is a worst case scenario and something we’ve looked at before and something the authorities are all well aware of and trying to do something to prevent.”

“And if it should happen, they would do what they can to reestablish power as soon as possible,” he said.

“”But the probability of a complete blackout across Denmark is very remote and not something for people to worry about,” he also said.

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