List of Defence Ministers of Denmark

Flag of the Minister of Defense.

This is a list of all Danish Defence Ministers.

The current office was established in 1905, merging the two previous positions of War Minister (for army matters) and Navy Minister.

List of War Ministers (1848–1905)

From	To	War Minister	Years of living
22 March 1848	16 November 1848	Anton Frederik Tscherning	1795–1874
16 November 1848	13 July 1851	Christian Frederik von Hansen	1788–1873
13 July 1851	18 October 1851	Jacob Scavenius Fibiger	1793–1861
18 October 1851	27 January 1852	Carl Julius Flensborg	1804–1852
27 January 1852	12 December 1854	Christian Frederik von Hansen	1788–1873
12 December 1854	25 May 1856	Matthias Lüttichau	1795–1870
25 May 1856	2 December 1859	Carl Christian Lundbye	1812–1873
2 December 1859	13 August 1863	Hans Nicolai Thestrup	1794–1879
13 August 1863	18 May 1864	Carl Christian Lundbye	1812–1873
18 May 1864	11 July 1864	Christian Emilius Reich	1822–1865
11 July 1864	6 November 1865	Christian Frederik von Hansen	1788–1873
6 November 1865	1 October 1866	Johan Waldemar Neergaard	1810–1879
1 October 1866	19 April 1870	Valdemar Rudolph von Raasløff	1815–1883
19 April 1870	28 May 1870	None (Christian Emil greve Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs)	1817–1896
28 May 1870	23 December 1872	Wolfgang von Haffner	1810–1887
23 December 1872	14 July 1874	Christian Albert Frederik Thomsen	1827–1896
14 July 1874	26 July 1874	Niels Frederik Ravn	1826–1910
14 July 1874	11 June 1875	Peter Frederik Steinmann	1812–1894
11 June 1875	11 July 1875	None
11 July 1875	28 July 1877	Wolfgang von Haffner	1810–1887
28 July 1877	4 January 1879	Johan Christopher Frederik Dreyer	1814–1898
4 January 1879	1 April 1881	Vilhelm Frederik Ludvig Kauffmann	1821–1892
1 April 1881	12 September 1884	Niels Frederik Ravn	1826–1910
12 September 1884	7 August 1894	Jesper Jespersen von Bahnson	1827–1909
7 August 1894	25 April 1896	Christian Albert Frederik Thomsen	1827–1896
25 April 1896	23 May 1897	Johan Gustav Frederik Schnack	1839–1920
23 May 1897	28 August 1899	Christian Frederik Frands Elias Tuxen	1837–1903
28 August 1899	24 July 1901	Johan Gustav Frederik Schnack	1839–1920
24 July 1901	14 January 1905	Vilhelm Herman Oluf Madsen	1844–1917

List of Navy Ministers (1848–1905)

From	To	Navy Minister	Years of living
22 March 1848	6 April 1848	Adam Wilhelm Moltke	1785–1864
6 April 1848	10 August 1850	Christian Christopher Zahrtmann	1793–1853
10 August 1850	25 November 1850	Carl Ludvig Christian Irminger	1802–1888
25 November 1850	27 January 1852	Carl Edvard van Dockum	1804–1893
27 January 1852	12 December 1854	Steen Andersen Bille	1797–1883
12 December 1854	2 December 1859	Ole Wilhelm Michelsen	1800–1880
2 December 1859	24 February 1860	Hans Nicolai Thestrup	1794–1879
24 February 1860	31 December 1863	Steen Andersen Bille	1797–1883
31 December 1863	6 November 1865	Otto Hans Lütken	1813–1883
6 November 1865	17 August 1866[1]	Hans Herman Grove	1814–1866
17 September 1866[1]	1 November 1867	Carl Edvard van Dockum	1804–1893
1 November 1867	22 September 1869	Otto Fredrik Suenson	1810–1888
22 September 1869	19 April 1870	Waldemar Raasløff	1815–1883
19 April 1870	28 May 1870	None
28 May 1870	23 December 1873	Wolfgang von Haffner	1810–1887
23 December 1870	21 May 1873	Christian Albert Frederik Thomsen	1827–1896
21 May 1873	11 June 1875	Niels Frederik Ravn	1826–1910
11 June 1875	11 July 1875	None
11 July 1875	28 July 1877	Wolfgang von Haffner	1810–1887
28 July 1877	4 January 1879	Johan Christopher Frederik Dreyer	1814–1898
4 January 1879	27 April 1900	Niels Frederik Ravn	1826–1910
27 April 1900	24 July 1901	Christian Giørtz Middelboe	1852–1920
24 July 1901	14 January 1905	Ferdinand Henrik Jøhnke	1837–1908

List of Defence Ministers (1905–present)

From	To	Defence Minister	Years of living
14 January 1905	12 October 1908	Jens Christian Christensen	1856–1930
12 October 1908	16 September 1909	Niels Thomasius Neergaard	1854–1936
16 September 1909	18 October 1909	Jens Christian Christensen	1856–1930
18 October 1909	28 October 1909	Ludvig Holstein-Ledreborg	1839–1912
28 October 1909	5 July 1910	Christopher Krabbe	1833–1913
5 July 1910	21 June 1913	Klaus Berntsen	1844–1927
21 June 1913	30 March 1920	Peter Rochegune Munch	1870–1948
30 March 1920	5 April 1920	Henri Konow	1862–1939
5 April 1920	5 May 1920	Michael Pedersen Friis	1857–1944
5 May 1920	9 October 1922	Klaus Berntsen	1844–1927
9 October 1922	23 April 1924	Søren Brorsen	1875–1961
23 April 1924	14 December 1926	Laust Rasmussen	1862–1941
14 December 1926	30 April 1929	Søren Brorsen	1875–1961
30 April 1929	24 November 1932	Laust Rasmussen	1862–1941
24 November 1932	31 May 1933	Hans Pieter Hansen	1872–1953
31 May 1933	4 November 1935	Thorvald August Marinus Stauning	1873–1942
4 November 1935	10 April 1940	Alsing Emanuel Andersen	1893–1962
10 April 1940	8 July 1940	None (Alsing Emanuel Andersen)	1893–1962
8 July 1940	4 May 1942	None (Søren Brorsen)	1875–1961
4 May 1942	29 August 1943	Søren Brorsen	1875–1961
29 August 1943	5 May 1945	None (Søren Brorsen)	1875–1961
5 May 1945	7 November 1945	Ole Bjørn Kraft	1893–1980
7 November 1945	13 November 1947	Harald Petersen	1893–1970
13 November 1947	30 October 1950	Rasmus Hansen	1896–1971
30 October 1950	30 September 1953	Harald Petersen	1893–1970
30 September 1953	25 May 1956	Rasmus Hansen	1896–1971
25 May 1956	15 November 1962	Poul Hansen	1913–1966
15 November 1962	2 February 1968	Victor Gram	1910–1969
2 February 1968	17 March 1971	Erik Ninn-Hansen	b. 1922
17 March 1971	11 October 1971	Knud Østergaard	1922–1993
11 October 1971	27 September 1973	Kjeld Olesen	b. 1932
27 September 1973	19 December 1973	Orla Møller	1916–1979
19 December 1973	13 February 1975	Erling Brøndum	b. 1930
13 February 1975	1 October 1977	Orla Møller	1916–1979
1 October 1977	10 September 1982	Poul Søgaard	b. 1923
10 September 1982	10 September 1987	Hans Engell	b. 1948
10 September 1987	3 June 1988	Bernt Johan Collet	b. 1941
3 June 1988	25 January 1993	Knud Enggaard	b. 1929
25 January 1993	31 December 2000	Hans Hækkerup	1945–2013
21 December 2000	27 November 2001	Jan Trøjborg	1955–2012
27 November 2001	24 April 2004	Svend Aage Jensby	b. 1940
24 April 2004	23 February 2010	Søren Gade	b. 1963
23 February 2010	3 October 2011	Gitte Lillelund Bech	b. 1969
3 October 2011	9 August 2013	Nick Hækkerup	b. 1968
9 August 2013	28 June 2015	Nicolai Wammen	b. 1971
28 June 2015	30 September 2015	Carl Holst	b. 1970
30 September 2015		Peter Christensen	b. 1975

Notes

1. Grove died in office. J. B. S. Estrup was minister ad interim.