A milestone for Danish Defence and security

The government and the Green Left, the Denmark Democrats, the Liberal Alliance, the Conservatives, the Social-Liberal Party, the Danish People’s Party and the New Right (hereinafter referred to as “the parties”) agree to invest approximately DKK 143 billion (more than 20 billion US dollars) in Danish defence and security over the next 10 years. Thereby Denmark will meet NATO's target of two percent of GDP on defence expenditures permanently no later than 2030.

“Russia's attack on Ukraine has shown us that we can no longer take peace and freedom for granted. There is war in Europe. Thus, we must show the will and ability to contribute to our common security - in NATO, the EU and with our allies and partners. This makes it even more important to have a broad political agreement on Danish defence policy. Therefore, I am very pleased that so many parties in the Danish Parliament are ready to take responsibility in such a serious situation," says Acting Minister of Defence, Troels Lund Poulsen.

The agreement entails the overall financial framework and political guidelines for the next 10 years. Specific capabilities and initiatives will be negotiated by the government and parties in partial agreements during the ten year period, starting in the fall 2023. The first partial agreement will focus on time sensitive initiatives and initiatives critical for the military build-up.

To respond to the complex and comprehensive security situation, the Danish Defence has to be rebuild to meet the standards of the modern battlefield. The government and parties agrees that app. DKK 38 billion (app. 5,6 billion US dollars) of the total framework is invested in the rebuilding of the foundation of the Danish Defence.

Three benchmarks set the strategic direction for future Danish defence

The historic strengthening of Danish defence and security must focus on three benchmarks that set the overall strategic direction for the next 10 years:

1. Will and ability to contribute to NATO, EU and our Allies and partners
2. Investments must benefit the Danish society
3. The foundation of the Danish defence must be rebuild 

The government and parties agree that Denmark should increasingly meet the demands by NATO, and Denmark must play an active role in the cooperation and defence in the EU, including EU military missions and operations.

"In the light of the abolition of the defence opt-out, the parties have agreed that Denmark can fully embrace active participation in the EU’s collaborative efforts on security and defence going forward. It is crucial that Denmark can actively and willingly contribute to peacekeeping and stabilisation initiatives in the neighbouring regions of Europe," says Troels Lund Poulsen.

To respond to the complex and comprehensive security situation, the Danish Defence must be rebuild to meet the standards of modern warfare. The government and the parties agrees that (app. 5,6 billion US dollars) of the total financial framework is invested in rebuilding the foundation of Danish Defence. In addition, a committee of experts will be formed in order to make recommendations on how to strengthen the organizational structures in the Danish Defence and implementation of the Danish Defence agreement.

Overall, this means that the Danish Armed Forces will be strengthened with an estimated amount of DKK 143 billion (more than 20 billion US dollars) over the next 10 years. The parties behind the agreement will convene at least quarterly to assess the overall implementation of the agreement and the utilization of the allocated funds.