Russia and China
The report claims that despite massive sanctions and a battered economy, Russia will be able to threaten European security in the coming years – particularly due to its nuclear weapons capabilities.
“The war in Ukraine has shown that Russia’s intentions are brutal and ruthless, and a weakened Russia will generally be no less dangerous – on the contrary. Russia still maintains the world’s largest nuclear force, huge land forces and a large arsenal of various missile systems,” the report said.
Meanwhile, China may also pose a greater threat in the future.
As it becomes more immune to political and economic pressure from the West, China is increasingly unpredictable on the global stage.
And an overhaul of its military means it is less likely to shy away from confrontations in what it perceives as its sphere of influence – such as in Taiwan.
“Looking ahead to 2035, the US will still be more powerful militarily than China from a global perspective. But China will be well on its way to catching up and will be at least on par in the Indo-Pacific region. China has have already built a large, modern fleet, while the United States, Japan, and especially Taiwan maintain older material that they cannot modernize within this time frame,” the report found.
Terrorism and climate change
Meanwhile, the report maintains that the many flashpoints around the world – such as in North Africa and the Middle East – can promote the growth of terrorism.
The report states that Islamic State and Al-Qaeda continue to consolidate and expand their powers, and serious terrorist attacks in Europe are likely to occur by 2035.
Meanwhile, rising temperatures and extreme weather patterns continue to threaten developing countries, which could lead to drought, famine and new refugee floods into Europe.
Rising sea levels also threaten Denmark’s defense capacity in the Arctic, as much physical defense infrastructure is built on melting permafrost.
Cyber attacks and pariah states
The report also suggests that the threat from cyberspace should not be neglected either.
Hostility by adversaries will increasingly include cyber attacks against key areas of infrastructure and disinformation during elections.
Threats from pariah states such as North Korea and Iran are also increasing.
The two countries act as serious destabilizing forces in their respective regions and are expected to continue to negatively affect global security until 2035.
Source: The Nordic Page