Denmark’s military fired live ammunition at unidentified drones at least 15 times in 2024, far more than the four cases found in public press releases and ministerial answers, according to internal Defence Command air surveillance logs obtained via a Freedom of Information request.
The gap between internal records and public disclosures raises questions about transparency and civilian safety near training areas where thousands of internationals live. Internal air surveillance statistics released under the Danish Freedom of Information Act show 15 separate unknown UAV incidents logged in 2024. A review of press releases and ministerial answers by The Danish Dream found only four incidents in publicly accessible material that year.
The discrepancy became salient in the wake of the Borris shooting case. According to internal Defence logs obtained by The Danish Dream, Denmark’s armed forces fired 43 rounds of 12.7 mm ammunition at a drone near Borrislejren training area on 28 September 2025. Residents reported hearing shots around 8:30 PM, but Defence logs registered the incident at 8:41 PM. A June 2026 ministry note to parliament’s Defence Committee, obtained by The Danish Dream, acknowledged an 11-minute discrepancy between local unit timing and central log registration.
Live Fire Near Civilian Housing
Borrislejren sits in Ringkøbing-Skjern Kommune, home to 1,787 foreign citizens as of January 2025, about 4.6 percent of the population, according to Statistics Denmark’s StatBank FOLK1A. About 900 are EU nationals and about 400 come from non-Western countries, based on DST breakdowns. The national share of foreign citizens stands at 7.3 percent, also per Statistics Denmark.
The safety regulation governing live fire, BEK nr. 1154 af 09/10/2019, requires that impact areas be free of unauthorized persons. It does not mandate advance notification to nearby civilians when extraordinary shooting occurs outside standard exercise plans. That leaves a gap, especially for internationals who may not follow Danish-language defence bulletins or local radio.
Defence officials argue live fire is sometimes necessary. A 2023 assessment by Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste stated that foreign state actors show interest in Danish military infrastructure, including via drones. The June 2026 ministry note to the Defence Committee said quick response capability is essential to protect sensitive installations and training activities.
Three Cases Reported, More Left Unregistered
According to the June 2026 ministry note to the Defence Committee obtained by The Danish Dream, Defence has reported three incidents involving live fire against suspected drones to the Danish Civil Aviation Authority since BL 8-10 was updated in March 2024 to include UAV interactions. Two of those incidents occurred near Oksbøl and Karup, according to an annex to the same note. Yet internal FOIA-released logs list 15 unknown UAV incidents across 2024, suggesting most are handled without civil reporting.
The Ministry’s note explicitly states the figures carry uncertainty. A review of Trafikstyrelsen’s occurrence database conducted by The Danish Dream found only two cases tagged as military UAV interactions, one fewer than Defence claims to have reported. No public document reconciles the gap.
Some opposition MPs in the Defence Committee have called for an independent review and stronger public transparency measures, including more detailed public registers of drone shooting incidents, according to committee minutes from 27 June 2026. A University of Copenhagen legal note from 2025 argued that current practice raises questions about compliance with European Convention on Human Rights Article 2 obligations when military live fire occurs near populated areas without clear prior risk assessment.
Aviation safety experts, in responses to Trafikstyrelsen’s BL 8-10 consultation in 2024, warned that firing dozens of heavy rounds into the air near towns carries real risks if calculations or communication fail. Local residents’ groups argue coordination with the municipality is pro forma and they are not adequately informed about extraordinary firing.
No Formal Warning System for Internationals
Officials cite Denmark’s NATO obligations and FE’s threat assessments when justifying robust responses to unknown drones in peacetime. But civilians have limited formal avenues to influence Defence practice or receive advance warning.
Residents near training areas can request exercise information from their municipality’s emergency planning office. Ringkøbing-Skjern Kommune states that Borrislejren activity is part of its contingency planning. Air safety concerns can be reported to Trafikstyrelsen, the Danish Civil Aviation Authority, which accepts occurrence reports in English. Complaints about Defence behaviour that may endanger civilians go to Forsvarets Auditørkorps, the military prosecutor.
Foreign nationals can also contact Midt og Vestjyllands Politi, the local police district, for clarification on shooting schedules and emergency procedures. Police provide basic information in English. Any person may submit a Freedom of Information request for Defence incident logs, although sensitive details may be redacted.
Internationals living near Borris or other ranges can ask their municipality to add them to local SMS warning systems used for floods and major incidents. While not designed for live fire warnings, these systems can be triggered if an incident escalates. There is very little, if any, English-language official guidance on military live fire near civilian areas, with most documents available in Danish only.
Unusual in European Context
Denmark has rarely used live ground fire against aerial targets in domestic airspace. According to an internal Forsvaret historical air defence review obtained by The Danish Dream, only two prior cases occurred between 2010 and 2020, both involving target drones on ranges rather than unknown UAVs. Public German Ministry of Defence reports focus on electronic measures and police cooperation for unknown drones, with no widely reported cases of live ammunition being used near civilian areas through 2024.
According to a Dutch Ministry of Defence annual air safety report for 2025, the Netherlands recorded seven military interactions with unidentified drones in 2024, five involving scrambling jets but no live ground fire. Based on available national reports, Denmark’s use of ground-based live ammunition appears unusual among EU members.
According to a draft internal drone policy circulated within Defence on 30 May 2026 and seen by The Danish Dream, any live fire action against unidentified drones within five kilometres of civilian housing would trigger automatic notification to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre. The policy has not yet been adopted. Until it is, transparency depends on residents asking the right questions of the right agencies, in the right language.
