The Danish concept of Total Defence stems from the time of the Cold War where a credible defence was not seen as an isolated military matter. Total Defence was focused towards the coordinated employment of all resources in order to prevent war, defend the country, and protect the civilian population.
After the end of the Cold War, the focus in connection with civilian preparedness planning has changed character.
The civilian preparedness planning no longer distinguishes between war and peace, but must cover all accidents and catastrophes, including acts of war.
The whole concept has therefore changed. Total defence must ensure that Denmark has sufficient available capacity to contain threats against the country and to handle largescale catastrophes.
In case of accidents or catastrophes, including terrorists’ attacks, the Armed Forces will support the civilian agencies.
The support will normally be provided to the police and the Danish Emergency Management Agency. The assistance will cover special military equipment, personnel with special training, or units when this is needed.
Both the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Home Guard have capabilities which can counter terrorist acts and perform consequence management in support of the civilian preparedness.
This includes personnel which in addition to a basic military training is trained to conduct rescue tasks, environmental tasks, and fire-fighting tasks.