On October 10, the Danish Ministry of Defense announced that the country will buy an additional 16 F-35 fighters worth $4.5 billion, bringing the total number of F-35s on the payroll to 43. The deal aims to modernize the air force, increase strategic deterrence and contribute to NATO's collective defense capabilities in the Nordic region.
The Danish Defense Minister said the decision was a key step in the plan to strengthen the country's "overall defense capabilities," amid increasingly complex European security environment and escalating strategic competition. The F-35 procurement package also includes replacement parts, weapons, training equipment and modern flight simulation systems, helping to enhance the ability to combat a unified combat with NATO allies.
In parallel, the Danish government has approved a second-ments agreement on the Arctic and North Atlantic, in coordination with the autonomous authorities of Greenland and the Faroe Islands to implement a $4 billion investment package. The goal is to increase the military presence and monitoring capacity in the strategic territories of Denmark in the north, which play an important role in the expanding Arctic route due to climate change.
The plan includes building a new Arctic Command headquarters in Nuuk, establishing a transocatic undersea cable between Greenland and Denmark, and enhancing monitoring and patrol capacity in the region.
In addition, Denmark will equip 2 more Arctic patrol ships, maritime patrol aircraft, drones, ice breaking capabilities, and an early warning radar system in Eastern Greenland.
From Greenland to Denmark, the armed forces mission is to protect the security of the entire UK and when needed, be ready to protect territories within the NATO framework in all aspects, Commander Michael Wiggers Hyldgaard said.
The Danish government has said it will soon announce a supplementary defense financial plan, in the context of the country's commitment to increase military spending to 2% of GDP according to NATO standards.
