Denmark announced that it is speeding up its plans to draft women into the military on March 25 amid tensions with Russia and the U.S. over Greenland, according to Copenhagen's Ministry of Defense.
Newsweek reached out to the Danish Ministry of Defense for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Denmark will be the third country in NATO to draft women into the armed forces alongside Norway and Sweden.
Copenhagen's defense changes illustrate the increasing geopolitical tensions and swiftly follow the initiatives taken by other European nations to prepare for potential future conflict with Russia.
What To Know
Denmark will start drafting women into the military in 2026, accelerating previous plans to increase the size of its armed forces due to increasing geopolitical tensions.
The comprehensive bill, which "includes full equality and the introduction of conscript lieutenants and sergeants," will come into effect on July 1, 2025, meaning that women who are 18 or older after this date will be required to attend Armed Forces Day in 2026 to be drafted to serve if there are not enough volunteers.
Copenhagen's current policy maintains that women can join the armed forces on a voluntary basis but will not be conscripted. Men are called to serve through a lottery system meant to compensate for a possible lack of volunteers, according to Bloomberg.
The changed plans move the government's initiative to draft women one year earlier than originally scheduled.
Copenhagen also began preparing for conflict with Russia by establishing the Acceleration Fund in February, allocating an additional 50 billion DKK ($7.2 billion) to "accelerate the build-up of Danish Defense fighting capability" by advancing "investments in critical capabilities," according to the Danish Defense Ministry's press release.
Regarding potential conflict with Russia, Denmark's Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen said in February, "Within two years, Russia could pose a credible threat to one or several NATO-countries if NATO does not build up its own military power in the same rate as Russia. This calls for swift, political action. The urgency of the situation means that we need to be able to invest in and build-up fighting capability at increased speed."
"We only have a limited influence on production times, but if we use our right to award contracts directly, we can save time. Further, we have to deepen our cooperation with the industry and close allies, educating and training ourselves in the use of the equipment, so that we are ready to use it, when it is delivered."
Denmark's military changes also come in the wake of growing political tensions with the U.S. over control of Greenland, a Danish territory.
Copenhagen and Nuuk have had issues with Washington since President Donald Trump has repeatedly mentioned that he wants to annex Greenland for "national security purposes."
Both Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's Prime Minister Múte Egede has have rejected Trump's proposal and said that the island's independence is up to its citizens.
Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance will visit Greenland this week, although they received backlash from Greenland's government and citizens.
As Trump has not ruled out using force to bring the Danish territory under American control, France warned the U.S. against invading Greenland.
What People Are Saying
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Mona Juul, a Danish politician, wrote: "Now we are bringing forward female conscription and the building of the army's 1st brigade. This is super good news. I myself called for bringing forward female conscription the other day, so I'm glad that it's now succeeding. We need to arm ourselves in a hurry, and so it makes no sense that they insisted that female conscription should be implemented separately and with delay. It only created unnecessary bureaucracy, which hindered the arming. Now we can arm ourselves faster and smarter. #dkpol"
In a statement, Troels Lund Poulsen said: "I am pleased that the Liberal Alliance has now decided to support the proposal for full equality in military service. In light of the current defense and security policy situation, the Armed Forces need to recruit more people, and therefore it is an important signal to advance full equality between women and men to July 1, 2025."
Denmark's Acting Chief of Defense Michael W. Hyldgaard said: "The defense needs all the fighting power we can mobilize. This requires that we recruit from all over society. With female conscription, we strengthen our opportunities to attract the most talented and motivated young Danish people. Regardless of gender. Diversity strengthens task solving and creates a stronger defense."
What Happens Next
It is unclear if or when Denmark will send troops to Ukraine to act as peacekeepers, although Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen previously said that the country is ready "in principle" to do so.
