Denmark begins conscripting women amid growing Russian threat

According to Colonel Kenneth Strøm, head of Denmark's conscription program, the decision — passed by the Danish Parliament in early June — is based on "the current security situation."

"They (women) could take part in NATO collective deterrence. Raising the number of conscripts, that would simply lead to more combat power," he said.

Denmark currently has only around 9,000 professional soldiers for a population of 9 million. According to projections, by 2033, about 6,500 people will complete military service annually — up from 4,700 in 2024.

In 2024, only about a quarter of volunteer conscripts were women.

Analysts believe that Denmark's decision to include women in the draft is directly linked to Russia's war against Ukraine.

"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 defense," said Rikke Haugegaard, a researcher at the Royal Danish Defense College.

The draft lottery in Denmark

In Denmark, all male citizens at age 18 are automatically entered into a database for potential conscription.

Later, they are called in for a medical examination and a lottery, where each person is assigned a random number. This number determines whether they will actually be drafted, since the military only enlists a limited number of individuals each year — typically just a few thousand.

Those who receive a "lucky" (high) number are often not called up due to limited slots.

However, those who actively want to serve — for example, to join the police or other government institutions — can volunteer for service even if their number was not selected for mandatory conscription.