Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen has announced plans to expedite a strategy to address serious security deficiencies in military areas, following harsh criticism from the Auditor General. The announcement came Tuesday morning in front of the Parliament Hall.

The Auditor General’s report issued Monday, delivered the strongest possible criticism of the Ministry of Defense’s ability to protect Denmark’s military areas. The report urged Parliament to take immediate action, citing the escalating security situation as a primary concern.

Initially, the Minister of Defense aimed to complete the plan by 2026, which drew sharp criticism. However, in response to the Auditors General’s call for an immediate plan, Minister Poulsen now intends to accelerate the process.

Acknowledging the security challenges around military areas, the Minister stated that following up on the Auditors General’s criticism would be a top priority. While his initial reaction was to allow a working group to continue their work, with a solution not expected until next year, he now seeks to expedite the timeline.

Minister Poulsen stated that further initiatives would be taken during 2025, in addition to those already implemented. Details will be elaborated on after discussions with the Chief of Defense.

The Auditors General’s report highlighted an overall deterioration of security over the past five years, despite the Ministry of Defense’s awareness of the deficiencies. In specific cases, this has impacted the security of the Armed Forces.

The Defense Intelligence Service assessed the security as “unsatisfactory” during the period of 2020-2024, the worst possible assessment. According to the Ministry of Defense authorities’ own assessments, 15 out of 18 authorities did not meet one or more of the “most important” requirements in 2024.

These security deficiencies include issues such as a lack of alarms, insufficient guarding, and inadequate soundproofing.