Denmark weighs new barracks, stations to accommodate growing conscription

Denmark is considering opening additional barracks and military stations to accommodate rising conscription numbers, broadcaster DR reported Thursday, citing classified Defense Ministry documents.

The documents seen by DR revealed that Chief of Defense Michael Hyldgaard had recommended opening more barracks, air or naval stations in Denmark.

They pointed to initial assessments indicating that the increased number of conscripts may require the construction of additional barracks.

“If you are going to have a mobilization defense, then new barracks will be needed,” Jess Moller Nielsen, senior analyst at the Institute for Military Analysis, told DR.

Nielsen noted that Denmark currently lacks the capacity to accommodate a significantly larger number of soldiers. DR recalled that the country’s ambition is to establish a mobilization defense force capable of calling up as many as 180,000 soldiers in the event of a crisis or war.

“It shows that our territory and sovereignty are threatened in a different way than they have been for many years. And that’s why we’re doing this,” Nielsen further said.