The Ranks and insignia of
Royal Danish Army
The Royal Danish Army ( da, Hæren, fo, Herurin, kl, Sakkutuut) is the land-based branch of the Danish Defence, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures ...
follows the NATO system of ranks and insignia, as does the rest of the
Danish Defence
Danish Defence ( da, Forsvaret, fo, Danska verjan, kl, Illersuisut) is the unified armed forces of the Kingdom of Denmark charged with the defence of Denmark and its constituent, self-governing nations Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The De ...
. The ranks are based around German and French military terms.
Current ranks
The current insignia for the Royal Danish Army was introduced along with the introduction of the
MultiCam uniform. This sand coloured insignia replaced the older standard green
slip-on and all other special slip-ons.
Officers
The highest officer's rank is OF-9 (General) which is reserved for the
Chief of Defence
The chief of defence (or head of defence) is the highest ranked commissioned officer of a nation's armed forces. The acronym CHOD is in common use within NATO and the European Union as a generic term for the highest national military position wit ...
(only when this seat is occupied by an army officer). Similarly, OF-8 (Lieutenant general) is reserved for the ''Vice Chief of Defence''). OF-7 (Major general) is used by the
Chief of the Royal Danish Army
The Chief of the Army Command is the service chief of the Royal Danish Army. The current chief is Major general Gunner Arpe Nielsen.
History
From the time that absolutism was instituted in 1660 until around 1800, the Monarch had absolute contro ...
and OF-6 (Brigadegeneral) by the chief of a brigade as well as keepers of high-office positions.
Medical personnel
Insignia used by physicians, dentists and veterinarians.
Other ranks
The rank insignia of
non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
s and
enlisted personnel.
Additional ranks
Clerical personnel
File:Denmark-Army-Dean-M58.svg, Army Dean
File:Denmark-Army-Chaplain-M58.svg, Army Chaplain
File:Denmark-Army-ConscriptChaplain-M58.svg, Army Conscript Chaplain
Types of rank insignia
Historical ranks
Officer ranks
In 1801, new uniforms were introduced for the whole army. Along with the new uniforms,
epaulette
Epaulette (; also spelled epaulet) is a type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia of rank by armed forces and other organizations. Flexible metal epaulettes (usually made from brass) are referred to as ''shoulder scales' ...
ranks were introduced for officers. Following the defeat in the
English Wars in 1812, Denmark was on the brink of financial bankruptcy, resulting in drastic reductions in the military. Therefore, only generals were allowed to wear epaulettes, with other ranks reverting to cuff insignia. In 1822, epaulettes were introduced to all ranks.
Timeline
Other ranks
Timeline
Notes
References
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External links
Badges of Rank for the Royal Danish Army, 2018Badges of Rank for the Royal Danish Army, 2018(in Danish)
{{Military ranks by country
Military ranks of Denmark
Royal Danish Army