The Minister of Defence of Denmark (Danish: Forsvarsminister, pronounced [ˈfɒːsvɑsmiˌnistɐ]) is the politically appointed head of the Danish Ministry of Defence.

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.

[1][2] 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 Troels Lund Poulsen.