Denmark is ramping up its defence spending and is launching a major recruitment campaign for its military, hosting the army's biggest recruitment day in its history this week.
A historically large-scale restructuring of the Danish army has begun. This week, around two thousand young people attended a presentation on the army's activities at a military base in Skrydstrup.
Exactly one year ago, it was announced that the Danish government planned to extend military service to women for the first time in its history, increasing the duration of military service from four to 11 months. It now looks likely that Danish women will serve in the military as of next year.
The Danish government wants to strengthen its army and is faced with the fact that many soldiers are retiring. This is why there is a need for recruitment. Young people who attended a military presentation this week signed up for eleven months of military service, got to test out various military equipment and talk to people responsible for Denmark's defence. It is hoped that many will choose to make military service a lifelong career.
Radio Denmark spoke to three young women in the army on the day of their military service. Anna Laursen says she wasn't sure if she wanted to stay there at first, but she's starting to seriously consider it. Astrid Nynne Karlsen says there are many things she's never experienced in the army, and Sasha Chanel Dogo is 100 percent open to military service.
Jimmi Bratved, who is in charge of military records, says experience has shown that about half of those who attend career orientation decide to stay in the military.
Bratved said the global defense situation and extensive rearmament meant new military equipment would come into service and more people would be needed to manage it, so it was crucial to get more people into the military full-time.
