What will Denmark’s extra defence billions be spent on?
Denmark’s government on Sunday announced that billions more kroner will be spent on its military in the coming years.
At a press briefing, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, with the backing of a cross-aisle majority of political parties, presented a new political agreement on defence spending.
The deal states that Denmark is to increase spending and must reach the NATO membership target of two percent of national GDP to be spent on defence.
Calling it the “largest investment in recent decades”, Frederiksen set out plans to increase spending to two percent of GDP, in line with NATO membership requirements, by 2033.
Meanwhile, 2022 and 2023 will see an additional 7 billion kroner spent on defence in reaction to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
READ ALSO: Denmark to hold referendum on scrapping EU defence opt-out
An analyst said on Monday that the extra billions to be pumped into Denmark’s military defences in coming years are likely to be spent on a range of areas.
“There are many areas that should probably be improved to make Denmark’s defence more prepared for the current or the future security situation,” Esben Salling Larsen, military analyst at the Royal Danish Defence College (Forsvarsakademiet) told news wire Ritzau.
“It is not only personnel, material or resources that should be invested in. A larger overall package is needed,” Larsen said.
The current global security situation will change the way in way defence is viewed in Denmark, he said.
Since 2003, various elements of military capacity were looked viewed individually, he explained.
“We are (now) going to have a more task-based approach,” he said.
“NATO has some plans and wants to develop new plans for what should be done in the Baltic Sea region, and the Danish military must fit with that,” he said.
The Chief of Defence (Forsvarschefen) will have a different role than in the last 20 years, the analyst also said.
The role of the Chief of Defence will move from use of individual military capacities to advising how Denmark’s and NATO’s plans fit together, he said.
By 2033, the Danish military will be in a better position overall, according to Larsen.
“I think we will see a defence in which units to a high degree are focused and specialised on a specific task,” he said.
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At a press briefing, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, with the backing of a cross-aisle majority of political parties, presented a new political agreement on defence spending.
The deal states that Denmark is to increase spending and must reach the NATO membership target of two percent of national GDP to be spent on defence.
Calling it the “largest investment in recent decades”, Frederiksen set out plans to increase spending to two percent of GDP, in line with NATO membership requirements, by 2033.
Meanwhile, 2022 and 2023 will see an additional 7 billion kroner spent on defence in reaction to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
READ ALSO: Denmark to hold referendum on scrapping EU defence opt-out
An analyst said on Monday that the extra billions to be pumped into Denmark’s military defences in coming years are likely to be spent on a range of areas.
“There are many areas that should probably be improved to make Denmark’s defence more prepared for the current or the future security situation,” Esben Salling Larsen, military analyst at the Royal Danish Defence College (Forsvarsakademiet) told news wire Ritzau.
“It is not only personnel, material or resources that should be invested in. A larger overall package is needed,” Larsen said.
The current global security situation will change the way in way defence is viewed in Denmark, he said.
Since 2003, various elements of military capacity were looked viewed individually, he explained.
“We are (now) going to have a more task-based approach,” he said.
“NATO has some plans and wants to develop new plans for what should be done in the Baltic Sea region, and the Danish military must fit with that,” he said.
The Chief of Defence (Forsvarschefen) will have a different role than in the last 20 years, the analyst also said.
The role of the Chief of Defence will move from use of individual military capacities to advising how Denmark’s and NATO’s plans fit together, he said.
By 2033, the Danish military will be in a better position overall, according to Larsen.
“I think we will see a defence in which units to a high degree are focused and specialised on a specific task,” he said.
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