Overview

• Denmark will implement mandatory military service for women beginning July 1, 2025, two years earlier than originally planned.
• The decision addresses personnel shortages and heightened security concerns tied to perceived threats from Russia.
• Women born after July 1, 2007, will be eligible for conscription beginning in 2026, with service determined by a lottery if volunteer numbers are insufficient.
• Denmark will become the second EU country to introduce such a policy, following Sweden, and joins Norway in requiring women to serve.
• The move is part of a broader strategy that includes a €6.8 billion defense budget increase and an extension of basic military training from four to eleven months starting in August 2026.