Denmark’s Princess Isabella, the 19-year-old daughter of King Frederik and Queen Mary, has begun her 11-month military service period at the barracks in Slagelse. She is one of 1,600 recruits starting their service as part of the country’s significant expansion of its military conscription policy.
The move reflects Denmark’s accelerated defence build-up, driven by escalating Arctic security concerns and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The expansion of conscription, first announced in 2024, includes plans to extend the standard service from four to 11 months and increase the annual intake of conscripts from 5,000 to 7,500 by 2033.
Notably, the expansion also includes women for the first time. The Danish royal family has stated that Princess Isabella will turn down the salary and allowances granted to conscripts, instead relying on her parents’ financial support during her time in the military.
The new cohort of conscripts will see deployment to Greenland for the first time later this month, with a company of over 100 soldiers undertaking operational duties for a month. This deployment carries significant political weight, given the sustained push by US President Donald Trump to annex the semi-autonomous Danish territory, which has been consistently rejected by both Greenland and Danish authorities.
The recruits will undergo five months of basic training followed by six months of operational service. The Danish Armed Forces are also introducing new conscription tracks, including a drone platoon at the Special Operations Command. Denmark’s conscription programme operates as a ballot system for all healthy young adults who turn 18, but has for many years consisted almost entirely of volunteers.
