Denmark launches 11-month military service for men and women, with first deployment to Greenland this month

The new intake

Around 1,600 Danish recruits started their military service on Monday, 3 August, under a reformed system that extends the standard service period from four months to 11 months and opens conscription to women for the first time. The cohort includes Princess Isabella, 19, who joined the Guard Hussar Regiment at Antvorskov Barracks in Slagelse. This year, roughly 20% of conscripts are women, according to the Danish armed forces.

“Well, look east. Need I say more? It is of course the security situation from the Russia perspective and what Russia will be able to do if NATO actually does not do anything.”

The reform was approved in 2024 and was originally scheduled to take effect next year, but the military leadership brought it forward. Colonel Michael Villumsen told AFP that the measure is about enforcing combat readiness very quickly through conscription.

Training and operational roles

The first three to five months are devoted to basic military skills: shooting, first aid, and physical training. Recruits then transition to operational missions lasting six to seven months, including surveillance and drone piloting. The armed forces are introducing new units within the conscription framework, such as a dedicated drone platoon under the Special Operations Command.

Volunteers who apply for an officer track will serve a total of two years: one year of training followed by a year leading a unit at the rank of lieutenant. Training takes place across 14 locations nationwide, covering the army, air force, and navy.

Greenland deployment

Later this month, Denmark will send more than 100 conscripts to Greenland for the first time. They will spend one month taking over operational tasks from professional troops, with the arrangement continuing on a rotating basis thereafter. The soldiers being deployed belong to the current intake, which still falls under the old four-month system.

The move is widely seen as a response to repeated statements by US President Donald Trump about acquiring the semi-autonomous Danish territory. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at last month's NATO summit in Ankara that Denmark was ready to defend every centimetre of alliance territory, including its own.

Scale-up targets

The medium-term goal is to increase the annual number of conscripts from 4,500 to 6,500, and eventually from 5,000 to 7,500 by 2033. Denmark's system relies largely on volunteers; all healthy 18-year-olds are called for assessment, and a lottery fills any shortfall. The entire current cohort of 1,600 is made up of volunteers.

“The extension of the service allows us to use conscripts in new roles within operational capabilities, which contributes to creating a larger and more agile combat force.”

Nordic and Baltic context

Denmark joins other Nordic countries such as Sweden, Finland, and Norway, as well as the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, in maintaining a conscription-based military system. The Danish reform also follows a pre-agreement reached with the United States in February to ease tensions over Greenland, under which Trump ruled out military force and Denmark committed to strengthening the island's defence.