Denmark prepares compulsory military service for women
Photo: Denmark is preparing compulsory military service for women (Getty Images)
Denmark plans to accelerate the planned reforms and start drafting women into the army as early as 2026. This will help increase the size of the army and counter the growing threat from Russia, Bloomberg reports.
Currently, women can join the Danish army voluntarily, while men are obliged to serve if they are called up under a lottery system designed to compensate for a potential shortage of volunteers.
According to Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, the revised schedule, the mandatory military draft for women is to be extended a year earlier than originally planned. This was achieved after the government reached an agreement with a broad majority of parties in parliament.
In particular, the Danish Ministry of Defense announced plans to spend 12 billion kroner ($1.7 billion) on an investment in a heavy brigade, as well as on the potential purchase of two aircraft for aerial refueling.
The issue of attracting women to the Danish army was discussed last year. In particular, at the same time, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen presented a plan to increase defense spending by more than 40 billion kroner by 2028.
