Conscription in Denmark ( da, Værnepligt) is mandatory for all physically fit men over the age of 18, according to the

Constitution of Denmark The Constitutional Act of the Realm of Denmark ( da, Danmarks Riges Grundlov), also known as the Constitutional Act of the Kingdom of Denmark, or simply the Constitution ( da, Grundloven, fo, Grundlógin, kl, Tunngaviusumik inatsit), is the c ...

, §81 and the Danish Law of Conscription, §2. The service lasts between 4 and 12 months. Women may participate, but are not obligated to conscription. Under the

Danish Realm The Danish Realm ( da, Danmarks Rige; fo, Danmarkar Ríki; kl, Danmarkip Naalagaaffik), officially the Kingdom of Denmark (; ; ), is a sovereign state located in Northern Europe and Northern North America. It consists of metropolitan Denma ...

and protected by 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 ...

, men from

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland ...

and the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...

are not required to serve as conscripts.

History

Conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to Ancient history, antiquity and it continues in some countries to th ...

has been practised in Denmark since the

Viking Age The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Germ ...

, where one physical man of every 10th court was required to serve the king.

Frederick IV of Denmark Frederick IV ( Danish: ''Frederik''; 11 October 1671 – 12 October 1730) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1699 until his death. Frederick was the son of Christian V of Denmark-Norway and his wife Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel. Early l ...

changed the law in 1710 to every 4th court. The men were chosen by the landowner, with being chosen being seen as a penalty. Since 12 February 1849, all physically fit men are obligated to conscription, according to the

, which was founded in the same year. Conscripts were required to wear their uniform on leave until 1966.

Regulation

According to §81 of the

, every Danish male adult has to complete military service. The legislation of the compulsory military service is articulated in the Danish Law of Conscription. The national service lasts between 4 & 12 months. It is possible to postpone the conscription until his education is complete. Women are not obligated to conscription.

'Day of Defence'

Every male over the age of 18 will be drafted into the 'Day of Defence' (''forsvarets dag''), where they will be introduced to the Danish military and have their health tested. Men who are not physically fit are not required to participate in the draw Men considered healthy or partially capable have to participate in the draw, while women have the right to complete conscription same as men.

Drawing

Physically fit people and partially fit people have to draw a number. Men deemed partially capable draw a number but do not have to serve their conscription if they choose not to, even if it is a number where a physically fit man would have to serve. Men determined to be physically healthy can be forced to fulfil their conscription, depending on which number they draw. The numbers 8,000-36,000 (''frinumre'') will not lead to conscription in peacetime. The numbers 1–8,000 can lead to conscription — even in peacetime — if there are not enough volunteers.

Service

Conscripts in the Danish Defence (Army, Navy and Air Force) generally serve 4 months, except: * Conscripts of the Guard Hussar Regiment Mounted Squadron, who serve 12 months. * Conscripts with Cyber-conscription, who serve 10 months. * Conscripts aboard the Royal Yacht ''Dannebrog'', who serve 9 months. * Conscripts in the

Danish Emergency Management Agency The Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) ( da, Beredskabsstyrelsen) is a Danish governmental agency under the Ministry of Defence. Its principal task is to manage an operational part who work out of six Emergency Management Centres, and adm ...

, who serve 9 months. * Conscripts in the Royal Life Guards, who serve 8 months.

Military and non-military duty

According to the Danish Law of Conscription from 12 December 2003, §2, one must provide conscription for the military (the

) or perform a non-military duty, for example in the

, as an aid worker in a

developing country A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreeme ...

or, if a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to objec ...

(''militærnægter''), in the

civil service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

. Voluntary service in the armed forces or emergency services can, according to rules set by the Minister of Defence, take the place of military service.

Number of participants

In 2006, 76% of conscripts were volunteers, a number which rose to 99.1% in 2014. The other 0.9% (19 individuals) were forced to serve in the military. In 2012, the number of conscripts was lowered from 5,000 participants to 4,200 participants. This is being upheld until 2020.

Rights

To protect the rights of the conscripts, the Conscription Council ( da, Værnepligtsrådet) was created in 1968. It works as an independent

Trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...

and is focused on handling the interests of the conscripts.

Criticism

The topic is heavily criticized on grounds of

gender discrimination Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primar ...

involuntary servitude Involuntary servitude or involuntary slavery is a legal and constitutional term for a person laboring against that person's will to benefit another, under some form of coercion, to which it may constitute slavery. While laboring to benefit anothe ...

and

economic An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with th ...

reasons. According to a poll from July 2011, 2 out of 3 Danes want conscription abolished.

Rank insignia

GHR RLG Conscript.svg, Insignia for conscripts in the

Guard Hussar Regiment The Guard Hussar Regiment ( da, Gardehusarregimentet, GHR) is a cavalry unit of the Royal Danish Army, whose primary task is to train the Guard Hussars for various functions in the mobilisation force. The Guard Hussar Regiment is one of two acti ...

and Royal Life Guards GHR HESK Conskript.svg, Insignia for conscripts in the Guard Hussar Regiment Mounted Squadron Jutland Dragoon Regiment Conscript.svg, Insignia for conscripts in the Jutland Dragoon Regiment Rank insignia of Værnepligtige of the Royal Danish Navy.svg, Insignia for conscripts in the

Royal Danish Navy The Royal Danish Navy ( da, Søværnet) is the sea-based branch of the Danish Defence force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Islands and Greenland). O ...

Danish Airforce conscript.svg, Insignia for conscripts in the

Royal Danish Air Force The Royal Danish Air Force ( da, Flyvevåbnet, lit=The Flying weapon) (RDAF) is the aerial warfare force of The Kingdom of Denmark and one of the four branches of the Danish Defence. Initially being components of the Army and the Navy, it was ...

References

{{Conscription in Europe

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

Military of Denmark