The government plans to increase military presence on Bornholm and add 5,000 more personnel to the armed forces.
The Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen (Venstre, Denmark’s Liberal Party) announced this at a press conference on Wednesday evening.
A new army plan for the Danish Defence is being presented.
A new infantry battalion is to be established on Bornholm, strengthening Denmark’s military stance in the Baltic Sea.
It will be named Bornholms Regiment.
The troops for the reinforced position on Bornholm will be relocated from Haderslev. This is part of a broader restructuring.
Additionally, the Danish Defence will see an increase in personnel across the country.
Overall, the Danish Defence will add 5,000 more personnel by 2033.
This will raise the number of full-time positions in the Danish Defence from approximately 23,000 to 28,000.
This increase is a result of previous agreements and the recently allocated billions in the Acceleration Fund.
The number of conscripts will also rise to 6,500 during the same period.
Defense Chief: We Need to Move Quickly
Defense Chief Michael Hyldgaard also attended the press conference.
»The build-up of the army’s combat power needs to happen quickly, and that is why we are implementing it now,« he said.
When asked by the press, he couldn’t provide an exact number of soldiers that will be stationed on Bornholm in the future.
One of the major challenges facing the Danish Defence is attracting and retaining employees.
Many soldiers have voiced concerns that low pay is a significant reason for this issue.
While the government and the Danish Defence announced the addition of 5,000 new personnel on Wednesday, the announcement didn’t include promises of higher pay to attract them.
The Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen did not address the pay issue at this time.
This will await an analysis, and the issue will likely be addressed in the fall.
»I am open to discussing what we can do to improve soldiers’ salaries,« he said.
Ritzau
