New Denmark law introduces lottery system to draft women

(MENAFN) Starting now, Danish women will join men in potentially being called up for 11 months of mandatory military service at age 18, following a recent change in the law.

Previously, women could only serve voluntarily after turning 18. Under the new rules passed by Denmark’s parliament, both genders must register to be evaluated for conscription. Volunteers are recruited first, with the remainder selected through a lottery system.

This reform also extends the conscription period from four to 11 months for teenagers.

In 2024, around 4,700 Danish men and women completed short-term military service, with women making up about 24% of volunteers. The updated conscription policy is expected to increase the annual number of conscripts to approximately 6,500 by 2033.

Denmark’s decision follows similar moves by neighboring Sweden and Norway, both of which recently introduced conscription for women.

In March, the Danish government announced a significant boost to defense funding—adding 40.5 billion Danish crowns (£4.3 billion, $5.9 billion) over five years to meet NATO targets.

Currently, Denmark’s military has about 9,000 professional personnel.

Colonel Kenneth Strom, who leads Denmark’s conscription program, said the change was “based on a political decision and a political agreement made by the parties,” driven by the current security climate to increase combat capabilities across the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Special Operations Forces.

Katrine, a current military volunteer, told Reuters, “In the world situation we’re in right now, it’s necessary to have more conscripts, and I think that women should contribute to that equally, as men do. I think it’s a positive change.”

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