The Danish Army announced that about 1600 new recruits, who are currently volunteers and part of this year's second contingent, have been distributed to various military centers.
The armed forces emphasized the need to expand and strengthen military service in connection with a new reality where threats and security issues have become more dynamic and complex than ever before.
Kenneth Strøm, head of the recruitment program, stated that increasing the service period allows recruits to be used in new operational functions, which contributes to the formation of a larger and more maneuverable fighting force.
Recruits will first spend five months mastering basic training, after which they will move on to performing operational tasks as part of the Army.
In the second part of their service, recruits may be assigned to perform duties within Denmark, including the autonomous region of Greenland, participate in the NATO mission in Latvia, or be integrated into the Navy.
In 2024, the Danish government proposed increasing the military service period from four to eleven months starting in 2027, and making it mandatory for women, similar to what happens in other Scandinavian countries such as Norway and Sweden. The reason for this change was the transformation of the security situation caused by the war in Ukraine.
The implementation date of this reform has been accelerated by one year, and the medium-term goal is to increase the annual number of recruits from 4500 to 6500.
The Danish Army reported that about one-fifth of the recruits who started service this year are women.
