Danish government wants to spend $20.6 billion on defense over 10 years

COPENHAGEN,Denmark — Denmark’s centrist government said Tuesday that it wants to invest some 143 billion kroner in the country’s defense over the next decade, citing a “serious threat picture.” The government has an ambition to reach NATO’s target of spending 2% of gross domestic product on military budgets by 2030, in part as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. There is war in Europe, and we can no longer take peace for granted,” acting Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told a press conference, calling it “an ambitious plan.” “The threat picture can change quickly. While none of the money was earmarked to any specifics, Lund Poulsen said that “a strengthened conscription will also be able to expand the Armed Forces’ recruitment base and the reserve.” He also said that he wanted “more equality between men and women.” In Denmark, while four-month conscription is mandatory for men, women have a choice. In recent years, Denmark’s Armed Forces have focused of missions abroad rather than on territorial defense, Søby Kristensen noted, adding that on top of that came demands to save money that meant that “they deprioritized anything that was not associated” with foreign assignments.