Top military and intelligence officers have warned Russia could attack NATO territory by the end of the decade.
Denmark has significantly boosted defense spending since the war in Ukraine started in 2022. Copenhagen has also sought to deepen military ties with European countries — for example with joint exercises — after repeated threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to annex Greenland.
“We do not need to be perfectly prepared, we need to be better prepared than our adversary,” the Danish general told an audience of top European military brass and French officials, including Deputy Defense Minister Alice Rufo.
Wiggers Hyldgaard also stressed that deterrence — which “only exists when adversaries conclude the cost of an aggression” is too high — depends on fighting power, solid alliances, inventories as well as production. “Production capacity is part of deterrence, supply chains are part of deterrence,” he said.
“If in Europe we want to be able to defend ourselves by 2030, we must prepare for it now. High intensity warfare is not a scenario, it’s a reality,” he added. “There’s no substitute for time gone, time gone is gone forever.”