Denmark moves to fast-track mandatory military service for women
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The revised plan is set to bring compulsory military conscription for women one year ahead of the original schedule, according to Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.
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Acting Danish Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen arrives for a meeting of EU foreign and defense ministers at the European Council building in Brussels on March 20, 2023 (AP)
Denmark will begin drafting women into its military starting next year, expediting reforms aimed at expanding its armed forces to address growing threats from Russia, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.
Currently, women can enlist voluntarily, while men are required to serve if selected through a lottery system to address potential shortages of volunteers.
The revised plan is set to bring compulsory military conscription for women one year ahead of the original schedule, according to Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, who announced during a briefing in Copenhagen on Tuesday. This decision follows an agreement with a wide majority of parties in parliament.
It is worth noting that Norway became the first NATO member to introduce a draft for women in 2015, followed by Sweden, which reinstated conscription in 2017, expanding it to include women.
Denmark's defense ministry also revealed plans to invest 12 billion kroner (US$1.7 billion) to fast-track enhancements to Denmark’s heavy brigade and potentially purchase two aerial refueling aircraft.
Read next: NATO to fund 10,000 specialized gear sets for Ukrainian women
This will be funded by the government’s newly announced acceleration fund, aimed at increasing defense spending in response to escalations with Russia.
Earlier this year, Denmark planned to increase its defense budget, something Frederiksen believed would be "difficult and... expensive." Frederiksen told Danish network TV2 on Tuesday the country will "be spending significantly more on defense."
The prime minister allegedly did not mention the projected rise's actual numbers, which is likely to occur despite US President Donald Trump's allegations that the US needs to possess Greenland, which is formally part of Denmark, for global security reasons.
A Financial Times report on January 28 revealed that the EU and NATO agreed to remain silent on Greenland following a request from Denmark, which urged its allies not to respond to Donald Trump’s threats to acquire the Arctic island.
The official's statement came after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged the European Union on January 22 to strengthen its military capabilities to "ensure survival" in an increasingly unstable global order, calling on member states to boost defense spending.
In a session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, Tusk said that "if Europe wants to survive, it must arm itself," adding that Poland holds the rotating presidency of the European Union for six months until June. According to him, during this period, its top priority is to strengthen the security of the 27-nation bloc.
