Denmark will introduce the new mandatory military service for women starting January 1 2027according to a parallel agreement reached by several parties that allows the defense pact to be saved for the next decade and avoid the opposition of two political forces.
The Danish centrist government – headed by the Social Democrats – had announced at the end of March a plan to change the model of conscription that included compulsory female military service and was intended to come into force as soon as possible.
But the Liberal Alliance and the xenophobic Denmark Democrats – two of the seven signatory parties of the defense pact and opposed to that measure – threatened to exercise their right to veto, forcing negotiate a parallel agreement with the rest.
According to the agreement reached last night, the new military service will be introduced after the next elections legislative (scheduled for autumn 2026), Its duration will be extended from 4 to 11 months and the number of recruits per year, from about 4,700 to up to 7,500.
“Possibility of a national mobilization”
“The recruits will play a central role so that the Army can carry out its tasks and will reinforce the possibility of a national mobilization in the current demanding security situation,” said Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, in statements reported this Wednesday by public television DR.
Poulsen had threatened weeks ago to expel the two parties that opposed compulsory military service for women from the defense pact if they did not change their position.
The agreement, which will be endowed with 95 billion Danish crowns (12,737 million euros), also includes the creation of a brigade of up to 6,000 soldiers and the purchase of air defense systems.
Denmark’s objective is to allocate 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) to defense in 2025, thus complying with the minimum agreed by NATO.
