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MILITARY

Denmark to build own ships as part of 40 billion kroner navy investment

Denmark plans to invest 40 billion kroner ($5.5 billion) in its navy over the next 20 years and upgrade its fleet to meet new security needs following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Published: 19 August 2022 10:18 CEST
Denmark to build own ships as part of 40 billion kroner navy investment
Defence Minister Morten Bødskov speaks to press as Denmark announces major spending on its navy. Photo: Claus Bech/Ritzau Scanpix

The Scandinavian country is ready to begin building its own warships, Defence Minister Morten Bødskov said on Thursday as he presented a partnership with industry actors.

“We are facing a serious situation in Europe. There is war in Europe. We have just been through a corona pandemic, and common to both is that it has created problems for our security of supply,” Bødskov told reporters.

“It is not viable, especially in times of war in Europe, for the Danish defence to have problems getting ships and other equipment built”, he said.

“That is why we are taking action now” to be able to upgrade Denmark’s fleet, he added.

Bodskov did not disclose how many ships would be built over the next two decades, but said a number of vessels were ageing and would need to be replaced.

“It is a large part of our fleet,” he said, citing patrol ships, smaller vessels that do coastal rescues, inspection ships and frigates.

READ ALSO: What will Denmark’s extra defence billions be spent on?

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MILITARY

US troops to mount exercise on Danish Baltic island

US troops are planning to take part in a military exercise on the island of Bornholm next month, marking the third time in three years US soldiers have trained on Danish soil.

Published: 27 April 2024 10:38 CEST
US troops to mount exercise on Danish Baltic island

Denmark’s defence minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, revealed the planned exercise, which will take plance between May 1st and May 7th in a briefing to the Danish parliament’s defence committee.

As part of the exercise, US troops will ship an unnamed weapons system to Bornholm Airport, and then set it up in a military exercise area, but would not then fire any shots or missiles. 

“The exercise has a military training aspect, but also sends a signal about the solidarity of the alliance, about American commitment to security in Europe and in our own immediate area,” Lund Poulsen said in the briefing.

US troops took part in similar exercises in 2022 and 2023 on the strategically placed island, which lies 360km away from the Russian and controls access to the western Baltic. 

The US had requested permission to train on Bornholm, which the Danish government then accepted. There is no change in Danish armed forces’ assessment of the threat against Bornholm or Denmark, Lund Poulsen stressed. 

In December, Denmark entered into an agreement with the US, which permits US soldiers and equipment to be kept permanently on Danish soil, with hte US granted access to the Karup, Skrydstrup and Aalborg air bases.

When US troops held a similar exercise on the island in 2022, with a large missile system deployed to the island, the Russian ambassador to Denmark sent an official warning. 

“This can be seen as taking a step towards changing Bornholm from an island of peace to a potential military bridgehead,” Russia’s ambassador to Denmark, Vladimir Barbin, told the Danish broadcaster TV2.

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