In Denmark, they decided to introduce mandatory conscription of women into the army from 2026 to increase the size of the armed forces against the background of the growing threat from the Russian Federation. About this informs Bloomberg.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced that the government has reached an agreement with the majority of parliamentary parties to speed up the reform of military conscription. Starting next year, compulsory service will be extended to women. The changes will take effect a year earlier than planned.
Currently, women can join military service only voluntarily. Men are drafted by a lottery system designed to compensate for possible shortages of volunteers. The Danish Ministry of Defense also announced its intention to invest $1.7 billion in the development of a heavy brigade and is considering the purchase of two refueling aircraft.
The funding will come from the government’s Acceleration Fund, created last month to increase defense spending in response to increased threats from Russia.
“Denmark should not be a country that is protected by others, and it is quite reasonable to expect or demand that all allies fulfill the promise we made to each other.” – explained the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen.
We will remind that earlier the Danish government already announced plans to introduce mandatory conscription of women and increase the defense budget by more than $6 billion.
