Minister of Defence (Denmark)

The Minister of Defence of Denmark (Forsvarsminister) is the politically appointed head of the Danish Ministry of Defence. The Minister of Defence is responsible for the Danish armed forces, the Danish Defence Intelligence Service and the Danish Emergency Management Agency.

The Minister of Defence follows the directions given by the Prime Minister of Denmark and the decisions of the Folketing. The Danish Defence Law (Forsvarsloven) designates in article 9 the Minister of Defence as the supreme authority in Defence (højeste ansvarlige myndighed for forsvaret). Under the Minister is the Chief of Defence, the senior-ranking professional military officer heading the Defence Command, who commands the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and other units not reporting directly to the Ministry of Defence.

The main responsibilities of the Minister of Defence are to prevent armed conflicts and war, to safeguard the sovereignty of Denmark and integrity of Danish territory and to promote global peace and stability. Since 2002 these responsibilities have included the political leadership of the Danish contribution to the NATO led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.

The current Defence Minister is Claus Hjort Frederiksen.

History
In 1905, the offices of the Minister of the Navy and the War Minister were merged to create the current office of Defence Minister.