The Danish army’s second-in-command has warned that the nation is “years” away from having a combat-capable military, in response to feedback he made this week to the government-owned TV 2 broadcaster.

Brigadier Normal Henrik Lyhne mentioned Denmark’s army is going through what he known as its worst staffing concern in a long time – an element which he mentioned will complicate efforts to fulfill Copenhagen’s NATO obligations. He added that low wages and below-par personnel housing have contributed to an exodus from the armed forces. This, in flip, has led to issues in Denmark supplying troops to the US-led army bloc’s japanese flank in Latvia.

“That is an emergency name,” Lynhe mentioned in an interview broadcast on Monday. “The scenario is extraordinarily important, particularly as a result of we lack troopers like by no means earlier than. I’ve been within the armed forces for 40 years, and it has by no means appeared so unhealthy.” 

He added that roughly 20-25% of positions within the Danish army are at the moment vacant, and that even when “extra money is injected quickly” it might take years to revive it to earlier requirements.

A key concern, Lyhne mentioned, is the unpreparedness of Denmark’s 1st Brigade, often known as the ‘Military’s First’, which is round 1,000 troopers wanting its anticipated complement of 4,000, in response to an inner memo from the Ministry of Protection.

In line with TV 2, which reported on the memo, the doc states that Denmark is assembly simply three of NATO’s 17 energy targets. This pertains to varied army {hardware} targets, similar to delivering short-range air protection techniques to the military. This has led to rebukes from NATO employees in addition to the UK and the US, in response to TV 2’s reporting of the ministry memo.

NATO decided in a 2020 analysis of Denmark’s army that there was already a “important deficit” in its army which might doubtless render it “virtually ineffective in a pointy battle.” 

In response to Lyhne’s feedback, Danish appearing protection minister Troels Lund Poulsen advised TV 2 this week that the nation’s army scenario was “important.” Danish army analyst Jens Wenzel Kristofferson questioned, additionally to TV 2, if Denmark can contemplate itself a “core ally” to NATO when it lags thus far behind in army necessities.