Military duty may be introduced for Danish women after 2026 elections

Military duty for women may be introduced in Denmark after the country holds parliamentary elections scheduled for 2026 – as stated by Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, TASS reports

Ritzau News Agency quoted the official minister as saying, “I have spent a lot of effort to discuss models for achieving the goal in a way that ensures equal rights for women, but also with the recognition that this should happen after the next elections, since some parties do not want it to happen during this mandate period.”

In mid-March, the Danish government announced plans for a large-scale restructuring of the conscription system, and one of the innovations is that women and men will be drafted on equal terms.

The Liberal Alliance and Danish Democrats parties oppose military duty for Danish women.

The innovation should become part of the defence agreement between the parliamentary parties, which is currently being actively negotiated. The discussion may end with the political forces supporting the conscription of women into the army uniting and passing a bill without the consent of the two parties.

"It is extremely important to me that we can move forward in strengthening Denmark's defence," Troels Lund Poulsen added.

At present, the service for women in the country is voluntary, they can also stop it at will. According to the bill, the Cabinet will extend the term of conscription from four to 11 months and increase the number of conscripts from 4.7 to 5 thousand. It is planned that they will undergo basic training for the first five months, after which they will be able to enter the operational service and gain additional skills.