The Danish government has announced plans to conscript women for military service as tensions in Europe spike since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The country’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced the plan to strengthen the Danish military on Wednesday, saying “Protecting your country is one of the most honourable things you can do. That’s why the government is today proposing that we extend conscription, make the responsibility greater and the tasks more numerous.”
“We propose full gender equality,” she added.
Women in Denmark can already volunteer for military service and in 2023, they made up about a quarter of the cohort, Politico reports.
“We are not rearming in Denmark because we want war, destruction, or suffering. We are rearming right now to avoid war and in a world where the international order is being challenged,” Frederiksen said.
Denmark now joins Norway and Sweden as the third country in Europe to conscript women into the military.
Female conscription for Denmark will begin from 2026 and the conscription service will be extended from four to 11 months for both men and women.
“More robust conscription, including full gender equality, must contribute to solving defense challenges, national mobilization and manning our armed forces,” said Denmark’s Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen at a press conference.
The announcements about women’s conscription coincided with Denmark’s plan to also invest more money into its defense budget in the next five years to meet NATO targets. It’s raising its military spending from the current 1.4 per cent of GDP to 2 per cent.
A founding NATO member, Denmark has been one of Ukraine’s greatest supporters in the ongoing conflict, providing it with advanced weapons and funds, and also training Ukrainian pilots on US-made F-16 war planes.