Defending Greenland and deterring Russia: Denmark overhauls its draft

Denmark has begun the full rollout of an 11-month, gender-neutral conscription model designed to turn recruits into operational soldiers. The shift reflects the security shock of Russia’s war against Ukraine and growing tension with Washington over Greenland.

On 3 August, roughly 1,600 volunteers reported to 14 military sites to form the first full cohort since a February pilot in Southern Denmark’s Haderslev. Most will undergo five months of basic training followed by six months of operational service. This extended timeline replaces the four-month term that previously applied to the majority of conscripts.

Women turning 18 from 1 July 2025 onward now enter the same assessment and lottery system as men. While the recent August cohort was filled entirely by volunteers, women already account for about 20 percent of the 2026 intake. By 2033, Copenhagen aims to draft at least 6,500 conscripts annually into the armed forces, a figure that rises to 7,500 when including the Emergency Management Agency. The 2024 defence agreement allocated DKK 16 billion (2.5 billion USD) to fund the reform.

The additional training is intended to place conscripts directly into operational units, such as the army’s 1st Brigade and ground-based air defence. This will free up regular personnel for more specialised work. The reform also introduces a new track to establish a drone platoon under the Special Operations Command.

The most politically sensitive early test of the model will take place in Greenland. More than 100 conscripts from the February pilot are scheduled to join Exercise Arctic Endurance for a month. There, they will undertake guard duties, cold-weather training and joint exercises with allies. The deployment follows Donald Trump’s repeated demands for US control of Greenland, which were firmly rejected by both Copenhagen and Nuuk. While Russia remains the main military driver behind the reform, the Arctic mission gives it a clear second purpose by showing that Denmark can field troops across the entire kingdom.