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Denmark is currently facing the most serious risk and threat landscape since the end of World War II, according to the latest update of the national security report Nationalt Sikkerhedsbillede 2025, presented Thursday in Copenhagen by Emergency Management Minister Torsten Schack Pedersen (Venstre).
“The new national risk assessment underlines that we must take the necessary steps to be well prepared. Across state agencies, we are currently reviewing our emergency preparedness planning to match the threats we now face,” said the minister in a press release.
The 2025 report outlines 16 categories of risks and threats, ranging from traditional military concerns to increasingly complex hybrid threats such as sabotage, energy insecurity, cyberattacks, and climate-related disruptions.
A structural shift in national risk perception
This marks the fourth edition of the Nationalt Sikkerhedsbillede since its first release in 2013. While early editions emphasized weather-related incidents and public health threats like pandemic influenza, the new report reflects a broader, more complex threat environment.
The updated 2025 edition follows the 2022 version but comes with a new institutional backdrop: the Ministry of Civil Security and Emergency Preparedness, established in August 2024, now leads the assessment effort alongside experts and other government bodies.
“The risk picture has fundamentally changed. We are seeing a rise in hybrid warfare, energy supply threats, and increased pressure on public trust and infrastructure,” said Laila Reenberg, director of the Civil Security Agency (Styrelsen for Samfundssikkerhed), who co-presented the report with the minister.
Urgent calls for local and private sector engagement
Minister Pedersen urged municipalities and regional authorities to consult the report and consider revising their preparedness strategies accordingly. The emphasis on local readiness highlights the government’s recognition that national security is increasingly dependent on decentralized response capacity.
The report is also intended as a “useful tool for private enterprises,” according to the ministry. Dansk Industri, the country’s largest business association, welcomed the report as a necessary wake-up call.
“The report makes clear that cooperation between authorities and businesses must be strengthened,” said Morten Høyer, political director at Dansk Industri, in a statement. “We encourage all companies to conduct risk and vulnerability assessments and develop contingency plans.”
Hybrid warfare tactics, such as disinformation campaigns and cyber interference, as well as the risk of energy shortages, are of particular concern for the business community. These threats not only jeopardize infrastructure but also erode public confidence—a key pillar of societal stability.
Preparing for a new era of resilience
The report signals a paradigm shift in how Denmark must prepare for security challenges. No longer confined to conventional warfare or natural disasters, the contemporary threat landscape is multi-layered and often ambiguous.
With global tensions rising and technological vulnerabilities expanding, the 2025 national security picture underscores the urgent need for coordinated resilience efforts at every level of Danish society. As the nation mobilizes for what experts call the most complex threat scenario since WWII, the question now is whether policy, industry, and civil society can align swiftly enough to meet the moment.
