Innovative warfare: what Denmark can learn from Ukraine
How can companies help strengthen society’s resilience in an age of hybrid threats? A new CBS research initiative explores how Danish companies can build dual-production capacity - the ability to shift from civilian to defence-related production - and thereby help strengthen Denmark’s resilience.
Photographer: Kyle Loftus, Unsplash
A society under pressure
Air raid sirens are part of daily life in Lviv. Cafés stay open, trains run on time, meetings go ahead and engineers continue their work, but war is never far away. It shapes priorities, decisions and the pace of innovation. For researchers from the Department of Digitalization at Copenhagen Business School, a recent visit to Lviv offered a rare insight into what it means to operate and innovate under constant pressure.
Organised by Defense Innovation Highway, the trip was part of a broader project exploring how Denmark can strengthen its capacity for defence innovation and societal resilience. What they encountered was not only a country at war, but also a system that has learned to adapt with remarkable speed.
“What struck us immediately was the intensity. Not just the reality of war, but how deeply it shapes everything - from the way companies collaborate to how quickly ideas are turned into solutions.” Jonas Hedman
Professor at Department of Digitalization
When companies become part of society’s security
At the heart of the project is the concept of dual-use capacity - the ability of companies to adapt civilian production for defence and security purposes. In practice, that means companies with capabilities in manufacturing, engineering, software and craftsmanship may also help strengthen Denmark’s resilience by producing the solutions needed to protect our shared values. The research points to a broader shift in how we understand security. It is no longer only the responsibility of the state or the military. It is increasingly a shared responsibility across society, including companies and citizens.
“We are seeing a shift where societal security becomes part of the responsibility of businesses. Companies are no longer only economic actors - they are also part of the infrastructure society depends on in times of crisis.” Jonas Hedman
Professor
Ukraine as a lesson in speed and adaptation
Ukraine plays a central role in the research project because the country has accelerated defence innovation at a pace rarely seen in peacetime economies. In particular, drone technologies and digital capabilities have developed rapidly. What began as fragmented, small-scale initiatives is increasingly turning into more standardised and scalable production systems.
For the CBS researchers, one of the clearest insights was that innovation in modern conflict is no longer primarily about hardware. It is about software, data and integration.
“What struck us in Lviv was how quickly they have moved from experimentation to system-level thinking. It is no longer about building individual drones - it is about building integrated systems powered by software, data and coordination.” Jan Damsgaard
Professor
Hybrid threats blur the line between war and peace
Today’s conflicts do not stop at the battlefield. They unfold across digital infrastructure, supply chains and information environments, where cyberattacks, disinformation and technological disruption are increasingly used to achieve strategic goals.
That means resilience cannot be built in only one part of society. It has to be embedded across the whole system.
"Hybrid threats do not only affect governments - they directly affect companies and citizens. That means resilience has to be built into the whole ecosystem, not only within the military." concludes Jonas Hedman.
In this context, concepts such as cyber resilience, digital sovereignty and cognitive security become increasingly important. Together, they point to a need for closer collaboration between companies, researchers and defence actors.
The need for a Danish MilTech ecosystem
A central ambition of the research is to help develop a Danish MilTech ecosystem, where collaboration can accelerate innovation and implementation. The aim is to connect start-ups, established companies, academia and defence actors more systematically and to support technologies that can work across civilian and defence contexts.
Denmark already has strong capabilities in digital innovation and collaboration. The challenge is to connect those strengths more clearly to security and preparedness.
“Denmark has strong capabilities in digital innovation, logistics, acoustics and manufacturing. The question is how we can mobilise these strengths in ways that support Denmark’s and Europe’s long-term common interests.” Jonas Hedman
Professor
A strategic and ethical balancing act
The project also raises difficult questions. Defence technology is not a neutral field, and there are no simple answers when it comes to how companies and researchers should engage.
At the same time, not engaging is also a choice - and one that may have consequences for society’s ability to protect itself.
“There is no easy way to engage with defence technologies. But ignoring them is not an option. The real challenge is finding ways to engage that are responsible, transparent and aligned with democratic values.” Jan Damsgaard
Professor
A necessary shift
The conclusion is hard to ignore. If Denmark is to stay resilient in the face of hybrid threats, it needs a fundamental shift in how we think about innovation, responsibility and collaboration. This cannot remain a short-term response to crisis. It has to become a long-term strategic priority.
For CBS, the project is therefore not only about analysing developments from a distance. It is also about helping shape a broader conversation about how society should respond in a world where technology, geopolitics and security are more closely connected than ever before. As Jonas Hedman points out, researchers are not only observing these changes, they are also helping shape how society responds. And that response, he stresses, needs to be both fast and thoughtful.