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Translated by: Flutura Gashi-Mehmeti
- August 3, 2026 19:16
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About 1,600 Danish military recruits began their new extended compulsory military service on Monday, kicking off an 11-month service period, as Denmark accelerates strengthening its defenses in the wake of security pressures in the Arctic and the war in Ukraine.
In 2024, Denmark announced that it would expand compulsory military service to include women for the first time, and that it would increase the standard length of service from four to 11 months. The number of conscripts is also expected to increase from 5,000 to 7,500 per year by 2033.
This new contingent of recruits comes at a time when Denmark is preparing to send recruits to Greenland for the first time this month.
A group of more than 100 soldiers will serve for a month, taking over operational duties from professional troops.
This deployment carries additional political weight, as US President Donald Trump has repeatedly sought to annex the semi-autonomous Danish territory citing national security, a demand that has been emphatically rejected by the governments of Greenland and Denmark.
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Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, at the NATO summit held last month in Ankara, declared that her country was ready to defend every inch of the military alliance's territory, "including ours."
Silas Nohr, a 19-year-old conscript who began his service on Monday and comes from the town of Varde in western Denmark, said he welcomed the longer period of service.
"We're now 11 months in and I think you can really get involved, experience it and get to know military life much more deeply," he said.
New recruits will undergo five months of basic training, followed by six months of operational service.
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The Nordic country's program operates through a lottery system for all healthy young people turning 18, but for years it has relied almost entirely on volunteers, with the lottery only used to fill remaining quotas.
Nordic neighbors Sweden, Finland, and Norway also have compulsory military service, as does the Baltic region consisting of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
