Following the news that Danish military spending is now projected to reach 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2033, the latest sign of shifting attitudes towards defense spending in Europe;

James Marques, Associate Aerospace, Defence and Security Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers his view:

“Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announcing a boost to the country’s defense spending, that is equivalent to an annual increase of around $2.65 billion, is similar to those coming from other European countries such as Sweden and Germany. These increases are all contributing to the wider picture emerging on the continent: The Russian invasion of Ukraine has begun a sea change in European defense and security policy, as the crisis demonstrates the need to be prepared for a peer-to-peer conflict.

“Further to the increased spending, on June 1, Denmark will also hold a referendum on whether to end the 30-year opt out from the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Doing so would mean Danish military units taking part in EU-led military operations, which carries implications for their procurement of new military platforms. New acquisitions may be made within an EU framework, and interoperability with other European countries would become a priority. GlobalData analysis shows that Denmark was already on track to increase its defense spending, but the new commitments now take the country far beyond the goal of spending 1.5% of GDP on the military by 2023.

“Alongside the higher spending, Denmark is also following other European countries in committing to reducing its dependency on Russian gas. While no time frame to reduce the usage of Russian energy has been given, the change will have an impact on the continent’s strategic calculus. As Russian pipelines stretching from east to west switch off, the EU will need to reconsider the security arrangements for its new sources and how they may impact priorities for military capability.

“However, Denmark in particular will also have to focus on its defense of Greenland and the Faroe Islands in the High North, where climate change will continue to reveal more hydrocarbons in a region where the Russian military is already highly active.”