Denmark

Previous reports: 2024 | 2023/24

Principal EBCO concerns

• No recognition of the right to conscientious objection for professional soldiers.

Based on replies to EBCO's questionnaire by the organisation Aldrig Mere Krig:²

Developments

From August 2026, women will be conscripted equally with men, also sharing rooms and showers at the barracks. Some groups will start already at February 2026. The change was suddenly moved forward, originally planned to start in 2027.

The military lacks policies addressing pregnancies and infant care for conscripts, and equipment remains poorly sized for women.³

The new conscription system will see an increase of conscripts from 4,700 to 6,500 a year (plus 1,000 in the Emergency Management Agency). Temporary barracks have been put up due to lack of beds, while a lack of instructors is planned to be addressed by drafting among the conscripts.

An increase of duration from 4 to at least 11 months will also take effect in 2026. The recruits start with basic education for the first five months, followed by six months in more operational roles such as ”staffing air defence systems or volunteering into NATO's emergency forces”.

Conscripts will for now not be ordered for missions abroad, outside the defence of Denmark or NATO's deterrence. The Minister of Defence can change this decision in case of a worsening security policy situation.

Civilian service for conscientious objectors remains an option, though there is little preparation for it. Even though the Ministry has advertised 1,200 placements and expects the numbers of applicants for civilian service to rise after 2026, many of the providers have complained that they have not received newer information. In the last ten years, only few places have been needed.^4,5

Voluntary recruitment

After the new changes, women are now only 16 percent of the voluntary part of conscription, down from about 25 percent earlier. It looks like there could be enough volunteers to fill the conscription service for 2026 - mostly with men.

Militarisation of the education system

Twelve high schools are planned to offer a Defence Studies programme. Since the first one in 2023, five of them have already started. In the span of three years, ”students [will] gain knowledge and understanding of defence and security policy as well as society's overall preparedness”. There is close cooperation with the Danish Armed Forces and the schoolwork includes training in military uniform with soldiers at the barracks. Most of those schools have only attracted 10-16 students on each level, about half or less of a normal class.

1. Military expenditure figures are estimates published by SIPRI (The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) in April 2026.↩︎
2. More info about the organisation at: https://aldrigmerekrig.dk↩︎
3. https://nyheder.tv2.dk/samfund/2025-11-20-markant-fald-i-kvinder-til-ny-vaernepligt↩︎
4. https://www.fmn.dk/da/nyheder/2025/fuld-ligestilling-i-varnepligten-fremrykkes/↩︎
5. https://www.forsvaret.dk/da/opgaver/varnepligt-og-tjeneste-pa-varnepligtslignende-vilkar/↩︎