Denmark Extends Military Service

PHOTO CAPTION: FILE PHOTO: Volunteer soldiers in the Danish Royal Life Guards take part in a training exercise in Hovelte, Denmark, June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Tom Little/ File Photo

OKSBOL, Denmark, Aug. 3 — About 1,600 Danish military recruits began an extended period of compulsory service Monday as Denmark accelerates its defense buildup amid the war in Ukraine and growing security concerns in the Arctic.

The recruits will serve for 11 months, up from the previous standard of four months.

Denmark announced in 2024 that it would expand conscription to include women for the first time and increase the number of conscripts from 5,000 annually to 7,500 by 2033.

The new intake begins as Denmark prepares to deploy conscripts to Greenland for the first time later this month.

A company of more than 100 soldiers is expected to serve in the semi-autonomous Danish territory for one month, taking over operational duties from professional troops.

The deployment has added political significance because President Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to annex Greenland, citing U.S. national security interests.

The governments of Denmark and Greenland have firmly rejected that demand.

At last month’s NATO summit in Ankara, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Denmark was prepared to defend every part of the alliance’s territory, “including our own.”

Recruits begin longer service

Silas Nohr, a 19-year-old recruit from Varde in western Denmark, said the longer service period would allow conscripts to gain more military experience.

“Now we have 11 months, and I feel like you can really get into it, really experience it and get a lot deeper into the military,” Nohr said.

The recruits will complete five months of basic training followed by six months of operational service.

Denmark’s armed forces are also adding new conscription specialties, including a drone platoon within the Special Operations Command.

The country’s conscription program uses a ballot system for healthy young adults who turn 18.

In practice, however, the military has for years filled almost all available positions with volunteers, using the lottery only when necessary to meet remaining quotas.

Denmark’s Nordic neighbors Sweden, Finland and Norway also operate conscription-based military systems, as do the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

(Source: Reuters)