Denmark is set to become the third country in Northern Europe to introduce military conscription for women. Sweden and Norway have already done so. As of July 1, Danish women aged 18 and above can be called up for military service, even if they do not start their service until 2026, according to a bill presented to the Danish parliament, which is likely to be passed. Currently, women make up a quarter of all soldiers in basic military service and they can do so voluntarily.
Starting summer 2026, the basic military service will be extended from four to eleven months. The impact of this on the number of volunteers remains to be seen. The Danish model provides for conscription only if the number of volunteers is insufficient and then the lottery decides who must enlist.
“In light of the current situation in defense policy and the security political situation, the armed forces need to recruit more” said Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen. And Danish Armed Forces Chief of Staff Michael Hyldgaard stated, “Equality is good and it increases the chance of building combat power in the Danish defense.”
Denmark’s army had a total of 15,400 soldiers last year. Currently, all young men who reach the age of majority are summoned to a “Defense Day”, a mix of recruitment and aptitude testing, after which they must draw a number. If the number is low, they may be conscripted in the event of a shortage of volunteers. This procedure is now being extended to women.
In the upcoming German mini-coalition’s coalition negotiations, the introduction of military conscription also seems to be a done deal. However, the SPD is still advocating for a similar procedure as in Denmark, where the number of volunteers is supplemented by a relatively small group of compulsory men. The CDU, on the other hand, is considering reviving the 2011-introduced, but not abolished, military service, which was suspended due to a lack of military fairness, as only a small part of an age group was actually conscripted, resulting in corresponding disadvantages in the labor market. A problem that would not disappear in either of the two variants and the inclusion of women, as the SPD envisions, would require a change to the constitution, which is not likely to find a majority.