Denmark launches massive naval expansion plan

The Danish federal government and the celebrations of the support arrangement have today settled on a prepare for to reinforce the Danish Navy, both in the brief and the long-term. The strategy develops component of the 2024-2033 support arrangement, and will certainly befunded both through the defence agreement and through the previously described “acceleration fund” This was introduced throughout an interview and a news release on 22 April 2025.

By Thomas Lauge Nielse/ Hartpunkt.

The federal government and the celebrations to the arrangement likewise made use of the possibility to additional emphasize the demand to quickly increase Danish support capacities, consisting of the Danish Navy, taking into consideration the significant and complicated safety and security circumstance encountered by Denmark, Europe and NATO. Danish Priest of Protection, Troels Lund Poulsen mentioned: “The hazards we encounter mixed-up today are various, and much more significant, than simply a couple of years back. It is particularly a harmful Russia that we require to respond to while, at the exact same time, the technical growth is very fast”.

The marine growth strategy is likewise planned to think about the anticipated boost in NATO pressure objectives for Denmark, which will certainly be appointed in the summertime of 2025.

The strategy is made up of 2 components. Component 1 has actually been set and moneyed, as explained over, and component 2 is an intent for future purchases, that have yet to be specified and moneyed.

Component 1 is made up of the list below components, for which a total amount of around 3,6 billion Danish Kroner (approx. 480 million Euro) have actually been devoted:

Boosted security of essential undersea framework

Monitoring and security of essential undersea framework is among the essential jobs of the Danish Navy. This consists of interactions and power supply framework, both of which are constantly being increased, and which are susceptible to disturbance and sabotage, as shown by the assaults on seabed gas lines.

The marine growth strategy consists of the purchase of a sea security vessel, efficient in organizing, releasing and regulating undersea drones and various other from another location run lorries and mobile finder systems, for sea and seabed tracking.

This sort of vessel will certainly comprise a brand-new ability for the Danish Navy.

Growth program for independent devices

This component of the growth strategy is mainly a research program to “independent devices” (drones and remote regulated lorries) to carry out security over and listed below the surface area. Experiences from the battle in Ukraine has actually highlighted the value of drones in the battlespace, and today aspect is planned to remedy the Danish Navy’s reasonably restricted experience hereof. The intent is to acquire and check different drones and from another location ran lorries in order to explore their capacities in, and create a teaching for, reconnaissance and security, consisting of the possible to supplement or change the Danish Navy’s aging “Diana” course patrol vessels with uncrewed systems.

The job will certainly concentrate on including Danish sector, to make sure a nationwide commercial base to sustain a larger, future execution.

Ecological and minelaying vessels

The strategy consists of financing for the purchase of 4 brand-new “armed forces environmental management vessels”. These are mainly planned to reinforce the Danish Navy’s ecological action capacities, with ecological security and the capacity to discover, include and gather oil and chemical spills mixed-up. The vessels will certainly likewise participate in the basic surface area and subsurface security and sovereignty upkeep jobs of the navy, along with serving as training vessels.

Along with these, mainly peacetime, jobs, the vessels will certainly likewise can minelaying. The capacity to rapidly mine Danish waters, therefore limiting marine activity in between the Baltic Sea and the North Atlantic, was a key job of the Danish Navy throughout the Cold Battle, and it appears that the growths in the European safety and security circumstance over the previous 3-4 years have actually once more raised concentrate on this location.

It is the mentioned intent of the arrangement that these vessels ought to be integrated in Denmark.

Extra vessels for the Naval Home Guard

The Home Guard is a volunteer company that began as an outgrowth of the Globe Battle 2 resistance activity. The Guard are educated and furnished to aid the militaries, along with back up to private authorities in instance of emergency situations. The marine aspect of the Home Guard is entrusted with safety and security at Danish Navy setups, patrol responsibilities and Browse and Rescue. They likewise sustains clinical study, offers at-sea transportation for authorities and personalizeds, along with assistance for workouts and training of various other armed forces devices, and host country assistance for checking out navy vessels.

The Danish marine growth strategy consists of an extra 21 brand-new, modern-day vessels for the Naval Home Guard, as a supplement and partial substitute for their present fleet. Specifically the MHV 800 and MHV 850 course seaside patrol vessels are put on and technically aging, and looking for substitute.

The modern-day Naval Home Guard vessels would substantially increase the Danish Navy’s capacity to carry out patrols and keep sovereignty in seaside waters throughout the risk range.

It is the mentioned intent of the arrangement that these vessels ought to be integrated in Denmark.

Component 2 of the arrangement is, for the minute, made up of the following:

Throughout the very first fifty percent of 2025, the Danish federal government and the celebrations to the Protection Contract will certainly create the 2nd partial marine growth arrangement, in partnership with the federal governments of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The celebrations remain in arrangement that this 2nd partial arrangement will certainly consist of financial investment in brand-new frigates for the Danish Navy, beginning with air support frigates.

Considering that vessels of this kind comprise huge, complicated and pricey systems, the celebrations to the arrangement have actually concurred that the very first step in the direction of a purchase need to be to fact-finding, to develop the essential basis for additional choices, consisting of armed forces, commercial, organizing and economic aspects.

Because Of This, the variety of vessels to be obtained, and their precise capacities, have actually not been established at this phase.

A more aspect partly 2 of the strategy is a development of Denmark’s Arctic security capacities. This might consist of brand-new frozen patrol vessels for the Navy, yet might likewise include maritime patrol airplane for the Flying force, along with unmanned capacities.

As can be translucented the above, along with improving and raising the capacities of the Danish Navy, there is likewise an intent in the Danish federal government to utilize this strategy to increase Danish support sector, in order to enhance and make sure a nationwide ability to create, keep and sustain the brand-new vessels and capacities that are being obtained. This is particularly pertinent considering that the Danish capacity, or absence of exact same, to create marine vessels has actually been the topic of much conversation in the federal government and in journalism. The celebrations to the arrangement have likewise, nonetheless, mentioned that they are open to the opportunity of collaboration with various other NATO countries. For a big, complicated job such as the air support frigate, such a method would certainly make good sense. The federal government and the celebrations to the arrangement have actually likewise recognized that, while residential manufacturing of the brand-new vessels is favored, this ought to not be focused on over capacities and prompt distribution.

And the above intent has actually not passed Danish sector by. According to a record by the Danish TV2 information solution, 4 commercial consortia in the cities of Odense, Skagen, Frederikshavn and Esbjerg have actually currently revealed a rate of interest in constructing the brand-new vessels.

There can be little uncertainty that the strategy detailed over, gave it is executed as concurred, will substantially enhance Danish marine capacities, both in regards to territorial support, and as assistance to NATO and various other procedures. This is particularly touching for a country like Denmark, with a lengthy and happy marine background.

One point that the writer is shocked to not see stated in the strategy is submarines. From 1909 to 2004, when the submarine program was ended, submarines created a main and integral part of the Danish Navy. In addition, small diesel-electric submarines are nearly excellent for procedures in the reasonably superficial and restricted Danish waters. Along with patrol responsibilities, submarines are likewise exceptional at knowledge event and unique pressures sustain. Yet not, presumably, this time around around.

This short article by Thomas Lauge Nielsewas originally published in German language at Hartpunkt.de It has actually been converted and republished with permission.

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