2024-03-15 07:36:27
Women in Denmark will be required to go through military service from 2026, making the Scandinavian country the third country in Europe to do so. Norway introduced a conscription law for both sexes in 2013, followed by Sweden in 2017.
The decision was announced by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Wednesday amid Europe’s worsening relationship with Russia and the protracted war in Ukraine.
“We are not rearming because we want war, destruction or suffering. We are doing it right now to avoid conflict in a world where the established international order is being questioned,” Frederiksen said.
The government wants to achieve gender equality, but also to increase the number of people in the army. Recruits will serve longer – 11 months compared to 4 currently.
However, for that to happen, a new law must be passed to come into force in 2026. According to Denmark’s defense strategy for 2024-2033, 5,000 conscripts will be called up annually – both men and women.
Frederiksen also announced that this year Denmark will achieve NATO’s minimum requirement of spending 2% of GDP on defense, and in 2025 the country will surpass this percentage. Over the next five years, the government will increase the military budget by 40.5 billion Danish kroner, or 5.4 billion euros.