Latest news with #DanishArmy
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First Post
02-07-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Denmark extends military draft 'lottery' to adult women as Russian aggression fears persist
Currently, women comprise around 10 per cent of the Danish Army, Navy and Air Force. Denmark uses the draft lottery only when there are not enough volunteers to meet staffing needs read more Women in Denmark who turn 18 are now subject to military conscription, as the country expands its armed forces in response to growing security concerns posed by Russia and in an effort to meet Nato expectations. The measure, passed by Denmark's Parliament in June, officially took effect on Tuesday (July 1). It marks a significant shift in policy for the Nordic country, where women have long been allowed to volunteer for military service but were not previously required to enter the national draft lottery like their male counterparts. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'The defence needs all the fighting power we can mobilise,' said Michael W. Hyldgaard, Denmark's defence chief, when the change was announced in March. 'This requires that we recruit from all over society.' Denmark's draft lottery pool gets bigger Denmark uses the draft lottery only when there are not enough volunteers to meet staffing needs. Currently, women comprise around 10 per cent of the Danish Army, Navy and Air Force, according to a report by New York Times. The decision to expand the draft to include women came about 18 months earlier than initially planned, following support from a liberal political party to place men and women on equal footing in conscription. Experts say the move is driven primarily by practical military needs, rather than by an ideological push for gender equality. 'If we need to build up our forces quickly — and we need the numbers that we're now aiming for — then we need to draft both men and women,' said Peter Viggo Jakobsen, a professor at the Institute for Strategy and War Studies at the Royal Danish Defense College. He added, 'It's not really an ideological argument about equal rights and equal obligations.' With a population of six million, Denmark has about 16,600 uniformed personnel in its military and emergency services. The government has committed to increasing its annual intake of recruits for basic training to 6,500 by 2027, up from 4,700 last year. It also plans to extend the duration of compulsory service from four months to 11 months beginning in February 2026. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Concerns over Ukraine war Analysts say the increase in service duration could discourage voluntary enlistment, making the draft more necessary. Officials have stated there will be no restrictions on women's roles, and that women will be allowed to serve in combat positions if they meet the required physical standards. 'There is a bigger concern now that the war in Ukraine might actually lead to a bigger war in Europe — so we need this sooner rather than later,' said Anders Puck Nielsen, a military analyst at the Royal Danish Defense College. While Denmark does not share a border with Russia, its government remains wary of Moscow's activities in the Arctic and the Baltic Sea, including past incidents involving sabotage to infrastructure. 'I don't think Danish politicians are fearing Russian tanks in Copenhagen tomorrow or anything like that, but it's tied to fears that Russia could be a problem,' said Mikkel Runge Olesen, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies. Denmark has stepped up military spending and adopted a more assertive defense posture since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. For nearly a decade, its defense budget saw minimal growth, a reflection of the country's reliance on the United States for protection, analysts say. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With or without Trump Jakobsen described this period as one of 'decay' in Denmark's military readiness. 'Now,' he said, 'Denmark has to rebuild our armed forces basically from scratch — because they're basically nonfunctional.' He also noted that former US President Donald Trump's repeated calls for Nato allies to boost their defence budgets and his administration's interest in acquiring Greenland may have accelerated Denmark's commitment to strengthen its military capacity. 'But even without Trump, we would still have reintroduced the draft,' Jakobsen said.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Gary Sánchez's bases clearing double
Denmark expands military draft to women for first time After almost four months of military training, newly conscripted women are completing the final exercises near the Danish Army's barracks north of Copenhagen. (AP video shot by James Brooks) 0:57 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
CTV News
30-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Women can be drafted into the Danish military as Russian aggression and military investment grows
Young conscripts sit waiting in the grass during final exercises at a training area close to Royal Danish Army's barracks in Hovelte, 25 kilometres north of Copenhagen, Denmark, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/James Brooks) HOVELTE, Denmark — Peering across a dense stretch of woodland outside of Denmark's capital with camouflage paint smeared across her face, 20-year-old Katrine scans the horizon for approaching threats. After nearly four months of military training, the young soldier and the rest of her unit spent early June completing their final exercises near the Danish army's barracks in Hovelte, 25 kilometres (15 miles) north of Copenhagen. Katrine and other female soldiers, all of whom spoke to The Associated Press on June 11 on the condition that only their first names be used because of operational security, volunteered for military service earlier this year. Until now, that was the only way women were allowed to partake in military service, although women have been able to enlist as full-time members of the armed forces since the early 1970s The Scandinavian country is seeking to increase the number of young people in the military by extending compulsory enlistment to women for the first time. Men and women can both still volunteer, and the remaining places will be filled by a gender-neutral draft lottery. 'In the situation the world is in now, it's needed,' Katrine said. 'I think it's only fair and right that women participate equally with men.' Under new rules passed by Denmark's parliament earlier in June, Danish women who turn 18 after Tuesday will be entered into the lottery system, on an equal footing with their male compatriots. The change comes against a backdrop of Russian aggression and growing military investment across NATO countries. Russia's looming threat Even from the relative safety of Denmark, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine casts its shadow. Lessons from the Ukrainian battlefields have even filtered down into their training. 'That makes it very real,' Katrine said. Denmark's gender-parity reforms were originally outlined in 2024 as part of a major defence agreement. The program was originally expected to be implemented by early 2027, but has been brought forward to summer 2025. Col. Kenneth Strøm, head of the conscription program, told AP the move is based on 'the current security situation.' 'They could take part in NATO collective deterrence,' Strøm added. 'Raising the number of conscripts, that would simply lead to more combat power.' Denmark, a nation of 6 million people, has about 9,000 professional troops. The new arrangement is expected to bring the figure up to 6,500 people doing military service annually by 2033, up from 4,700 last year. Under Danish law, all physically fit men over age 18 are called up for military service. Some people — both men and women — volunteer, and the rest of the places are filled by a lottery system that until now has only involved men. Women volunteers make up roughly a quarter of 2024's cohort. 'Some will probably be very disappointed being chosen to go into the military,' Anne Sofie, part of Katrine's cohort of volunteers, said of the new female conscripts. 'Some will probably be surprised and like it a lot more than they think they would.' The duration of service is also being extended, from four to 11 months. Conscripts will first spend five months in basic training, followed by six months of operational service, plus additional lessons. Military buildup The move is part of a broader military buildup by the Nordic nation. In February, Denmark's government announced plans to bolster its military by setting up a US$7 billion fund that it said would raise the country's defence spending to more than 3% of gross domestic product this year. Parts of the conscript program are being financed by the so-called Acceleration Fund. 'We see a sharpened security situation in Europe. We have the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. We have focus on the Baltic countries, where Denmark is contributing a lot of soldiers. So, I think it's a general effort to strengthen the Danish defence,' said researcher Rikke Haugegaard from the Royal Danish Defense College. But Haugegaard notes there are many challenges, from ill-fitting equipment and a lack of additional barracks, to potential cases of sexual harassment. 'For the next year or two, we will be building a lot of new buildings to accommodate all these people. So, it will be a gradual process,' she added. In 2017, neighbouring Sweden instituted a military draft for both men and women after its government spoke of a deteriorating security environment in Europe. Norway introduced its own law applying military conscription to both sexes in 2013. James Brooks, The Associated Press
Washington Post
30-06-2025
- Washington Post
Women can be drafted into the Danish military as Russian aggression and military investment grows
HOVELTE, Denmark — Peering across a dense stretch of woodland outside of Denmark's capital with camouflage paint smeared across her face, 20-year-old Katrine scans the horizon for approaching threats. After nearly four months of military training, the young soldier and the rest of her unit spent early June completing their final exercises near the Danish army's barracks in Hovelte, 25 kilometers (15 miles) north of Copenhagen.
CBC
30-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Denmark to draft women into army amid growing Russian aggression, military expansion
Peering across a dense stretch of woodland outside of Denmark's capital with camouflage paint smeared across her face, 20-year-old Katrine scans the horizon for approaching threats. After nearly four months of military training, the young soldier and the rest of her unit spent early June completing their final exercises near the Danish army's barracks in Hovelte, 25 kilometres north of Copenhagen. Katrine and other female soldiers, all of whom spoke to The Associated Press on June 11 on the condition that only their first names be used because of operational security, volunteered for military service earlier this year. Until now, that was the only way for women to be part of the armed forces. The Scandinavian country is seeking to increase the number of young people in the military by extending compulsory enlistment to women for the first time. Men and women can both still volunteer, and the remaining places will be filled by a gender-neutral draft lottery. "In the situation the world is in now, it's needed," Katrine said. "I think it's only fair and right that women participate equally with men." Under new rules passed by Denmark's parliament earlier in June, Danish women who turn 18 after Tuesday will be entered into the lottery system, on equal footing with their male compatriots. The change comes against a backdrop of Russian aggression and growing military investment across NATO countries. Move based on 'current security situation': conscription program head Even from the relative safety of Denmark, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine casts its shadow. Lessons from the Ukrainian battlefields have even filtered down into their training. "That makes it very real," Katrine said. Denmark's gender-parity reforms were originally outlined in 2024 as part of a major defence agreement. The program was originally expected to be implemented by early 2027, but has been brought forward to summer 2025. Col. Kenneth Strøm, head of the conscription program, told AP the move is based on "the current security situation." "They could take part in NATO collective deterrence," Strøm added. "Raising the number of conscripts, that would simply lead to more combat power." Denmark, a nation of six million people, has about 9,000 professional troops. The new arrangement is expected to bring up to 6,500 annual conscripts by 2033, up from 4,700 last year. Under Danish law, all physically fit men over age 18 are called up for military service. But because there are usually enough volunteers, there's a lottery system so not all young men serve. Women, by contrast, could only volunteer previously, making up roughly a quarter of 2024's cohort. "Some will probably be very disappointed being chosen to go into the military," Anne Sofie, part of Katrine's cohort of volunteers, said of the new female conscripts. "Some will probably be surprised and like it a lot more than they think they would." The duration of service is also being extended from four to 11 months. Conscripts will first spend five months in basic training, followed by six months of operational service, plus additional lessons. A 'gradual process' of building up military The move is part of a broader military buildup by the Nordic nation. In February, Denmark's government announced plans to bolster its military by setting up a $7 billion US fund that it said would raise the country's defence spending to more than 3 per cent of gross domestic product this year. Parts of the conscript program are being financed by the so-called Acceleration Fund. "We see a sharpened security situation in Europe. We have the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. We have focus on the Baltic countries, where Denmark is contributing a lot of soldiers. So, I think it's a general effort to strengthen the Danish defence," said researcher Rikke Haugegaard from the Royal Danish Defence College. But Haugegaard notes there are many challenges, from ill-fitting equipment and a lack of additional barracks, to potential cases of sexual harassment. "For the next year or two, we will be building a lot of new buildings to accommodate all these people. So, it will be a gradual process," she added. In 2017, neighbouring Sweden instituted a military draft for both men and women after its government spoke of a deteriorating security environment in Europe. Norway introduced its own law applying military conscription to both sexes in 2013
