[KALE CAREY]

IN THE FACE OF RUSSIAN AGGRESSION IN EUROPE, DENMARK IS BULKING UP ITS MILITARY BY MAKING WOMEN SUBJECT TO THE DRAFT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE NATION’S HISTORY. BOTH MEN AND WOMEN CAN STILL VOLUNTEER, BUT THE RANKS WILL BE FILLED OUT BY A GENDER-NEUTRAL DRAFT LOTTERY. SOME DANISH FEMALE TROOPS IN TRAINING BELIEVE IT’S A NEEDED CHANGE. 

[KATRINE, 20, FROM OSKILKE, DENMARK]

IN THE SITUATION THAT WORLD IS IN NOW, IT IS NEEDED, I THINK, AND I THINK IT’S ONLY FAIR AND RIGHT THAT WOMEN PARTICIPATE EQUALLY WITH MEN, BUT I THINK THERE’S ALSO SOME CHALLENGES TO ME WHEN YOU’RE NOT USED TO THAT MANY WOMEN, LIKE PERHAPS THE EQUIPMENT AND THE UNIFORM, OFTEN TIMES, IT’S TOO BIG, OR THERE’S A LOT OF LOOPHOLES YOU HAVE TO JUMP THROUGH TO GET EVERYTHING TO WORK.”

[KALE CAREY]

UNDER THE NEW REQUIREMENTS PASSED BY THE DANISH PARLIAMENT THIS MONTH, WOMEN WHO TURN 18 AFTER TUESDAY WILL ENTER THE LOTTERY SYSTEM ALONG WITH THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS.

THE MOVE COMES AS RUSSIA RAMPS UP ATTACKS IN THE FOURTH YEAR OF ITS WAR AGAINST UKRAINE AND AS NATO NATIONS INCREASE DEFENSE SPENDING– FEARING MOSCOW COULD STRIKE THEM NEXT. DENMARK APPEARS RELATIVELY SAFE FROM MOSCOW’S THREATS FOR NOW. HOWEVER, RUSSIA’S INVASION OF UKRAINE HAS LEFT A MARK ON MILITARY TRAINING.

[UNKNOWN SPEAKER]

“THE TENTS WE SLEEP IN. THEY’VE LEARNED IN UKRAINE THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE THEM A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF METERS BETWEEN THEM SO YOU CANNOT HIT A LOT OF PEOPLE AT ONCE, AND I THINK SO THAT MAKES IT VERY REAL, SO YOU KNOW IF YOU STAY, IT’S LIKE A REAL OPPORTUNITY THAT YOU HAVE TO PARTICIPATE IN SOME FORM DUE TO THE GEOPOLITICAL SITUATION.”

[KALE CAREY]

THE COUNTRY MOVED UP CHANGES TO ITS DRAFT FROM 2027 TO 2025 BECAUSE OF THE “CURRENT SECURITY SITUATION,” ACCORDING TO THE HEAD OF THE CONSCRIPTION PROGRAM.

[COLONEL KENNETH STROM, HEAD OF CONSCRIPTION PROGRAM]

“THE POLITICAL AGREEMENT IS BASED ON THE CURRENT SECURITY SITUATION AND THAT’S THE REASON WHY THAT WE ARE ESCALATING THE NUMBERS OF CONSCRIPTS, THAT’S THE REASON WHY WE NEED TO GET MORE COMBAT POWER.”

[KALE CAREY]

THE CHANGE IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF DANISH CITIZENS PERFORMING MILITARY SERVICE BY ALMOST 40 PERCENT OVER THE NEXT EIGHT YEARS TO 65-HUNDRED. 

UNDER CURRENT LAW, ABLE-BODIED MEN ARE REQUIRED TO PERFORM MILITARY SERVICE AFTER THEY TURN 18. BOTH MEN AND WOMEN MAY VOLUNTEERS, BUT OPEN SLOTS ARE FILLED THROUGH A SO-CALLED LOTTERY THAT HAD PREVIOUSLY ONLY DRAFTED MEN. THE NEW RULES ALSO EXTEND MANDATORY SERVICE FROM FOUR MONTHS TO 11 MONTHS.

IN FEBRUARY, DENMARK’S GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED IT ALLOCATED SEVEN BILLION TO INCREASE ITS DEFENSE SPENDING— PART OF WHICH WILL FUND THE NEW CONSCRIPTION PROGRAM. CURRENTLY THERE ARE CONCERNS WITH A LACK OF BARRACKS AND OTHER ISSUES– BUT RESEARCHERS FROM THE ROYAL DANISH DEFENSE COLLEGE SAY THE PROCESS WILL BE PHASED IN.

[RIKKE HAUGEGAARD, RESEARCHER AT ROYAL DANISH DEFENSE COLLEGE]

FOR THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO WE WILL BE BUILDING A LOT OF NEW BUILDINGS TO ACCOMMODATE ALL THESE PEOPLE. SO, IT WILL BE A GRADUAL PROCESS. IT WILL NOT BE READY AUGUST 26TH— BUT IT WILL BE READY SOON AFTER.

[KALE CAREY]

THEY ALSO ADDED  THERE ARE ADDITIONAL CONCERNS TO ADDRESS NOW.

SUCH AS UNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT ILL-FITTED FOR WOMEN AND CONCERNS OVER POTENTIAL RISE IN SEXUAL ASSAULTS.

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