Fact Check: Denmark has mandatory military conscription for both men and women.

Fact Check: "Denmark has mandatory military conscription for both men and women."

What We Know

Denmark has recently expanded its military conscription laws to include women, making them eligible for compulsory military service starting from the age of 18. This change was officially announced in March 2025 and passed by the Danish Parliament in June 2025, with the implementation date set for July 1, 2025 (source-1). Prior to this change, women could volunteer for military service but were not included in the lottery system for conscription, which was mandatory for men. The Danish military currently comprises about 10% women, and the government has stated that the inclusion of women in the draft is primarily driven by military needs rather than gender equality concerns (source-1).

The Danish Constitution mandates military service for all physically fit citizens over the age of 18, which now applies equally to both men and women (source-8). The length of required service is set to increase from four months to eleven months starting in February 2026, indicating a significant shift in Denmark's military policy as it seeks to bolster its defense capabilities in response to geopolitical tensions, particularly related to Russia (source-4).

Analysis

The claim that Denmark has mandatory military conscription for both men and women is partially true. While it is accurate that women will soon be subject to the same conscription laws as men, the implementation is relatively new and is still in the process of being fully realized. The change reflects Denmark's strategic military needs rather than a long-standing policy of gender equality in conscription (source-1).

Critically, the sources discussing this change, such as articles from reputable news outlets like The New York Times and Reuters, provide a well-rounded view of the motivations behind the policy shift, emphasizing the urgency of military readiness in light of external threats (source-1, source-4). The inclusion of women in the draft aligns Denmark with other Nordic countries, such as Sweden and Norway, which have long included women in their conscription processes (source-1).

However, it is important to note that the conscription system will still rely on a lottery if there are insufficient volunteers to meet military needs, which indicates that the system is not entirely mandatory in the traditional sense (source-1). This nuance is crucial in understanding the full context of the claim.

Conclusion

The verdict is Partially True. Denmark has indeed expanded its military conscription to include women, making it mandatory for both genders to register for military service. However, the implementation is recent, and the system still allows for a lottery based on volunteer numbers, which complicates the notion of "mandatory" service. Thus, while the claim holds merit, it lacks the full context of how conscription operates in practice.

Fact Check: Denmark has mandatory military conscription for both men and women.