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Forsvarsudvalget 2013-14
FOU Alm.del Bilag 123
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NORTH ATlANTIC COUNCIL

CONSEIL DE UATLANTIQUE

NoRD

22 May 2014

DOCUMENT

C-M(2014)0027 (DE-OVERVIE

NATO DEFENCE PLANNING CAPABILITY REVIEW 201312014

DENMARK

OVERVIEW

The 2013-2017 Defence Agreement agreed in November 2012 by seven of the

eight political parties represented in the Danish Parliament introduced measures to

improve efficiency and inciudes a reduction of the defence budget by approximately 12%

of the 2013 budget. As a result there will be major changes to the structure of the armed

forces. However, there is a clear political objective that the budget cuts will not impact

operational capability. Continued participation in operations is a priority within the Danish

defence organisation and forces will continue to be configured to be able to deploy at short

notice. The freeing of money spent on operations in Afghanistan, as a result of a reduced

level of forces, will be reinvested in defence, into programmes designed to maintain

operational capabilities in terms of training and materiel, but will not fully compensate for

the budget reductions.

The aim of Denmark’s foreign and security policy is the promotion of national

security and prosperity based on core values of freedom, democracy and human rights.

NATO remains a cornerstone of Danish security and defence policy. Denmark’s armed

forces, contributing to the defence dimension of its pro-active foreign and security policy,

are actively engaged in current international operations, conducted under the aegis of

NATO or the UN. Active engagement in the Arctic/High North is also of strategic

importance to Denmark and to that end, in October 2012, two existing structures were

merged into a Joint Arctic Command which was established in Nuuk, Greenland.

lncreased funding has been allocated to prepare Danish armed forces for future tasks and

challenges in the Arctic. On the lOth of April 2014 a broad political agreement was

reached regarding the future organisation of the leadership of Danish defence. The

Danish Defence Command will be abolished in its current form. A new Joint Defence

Command will be established and it will include the operational elements of the current

Defence Command as well as the naval, army, air force, Arctic and special operations

commands. The CHOD will be co-located within the MoD with parts of his staif.

Resources, planning and personnel strategy will be integrated in the new MoD.

Supporting agencies for materiel and acquisition, personnel and infrastructure will be

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C-M(2014)0027 (DE-OVERVlE

subordinated to the MoD. When fully implemented, the new organisation of the Danish

defence will result in an estimated annual saving of 170 million Danish Kroner.

The main structural change for the land forces, as outlined in the Defence

Agreement, is for the six combat baftalions to be reconfigured into three larger battle

groups, of which one will be maintained at high-readiness, and also three skeleton battle

groups. lncreased resources have been allocated to special operations forces (SOF) and

a SOF command (SOCOM) will be created. Support functions will also be amalgamated

and new joint service support units will be established for force protection, logistic and

medical capabilities. Streamlining and development initiatives will reduce the number of

personnel involved in human resource activities and also the number and locations of

defence establishments.

Planned procurement includes armoured personnel carriers, a new artillery

system, engineer equipment, night vision, observation and sensor equipment, individual

soldiers’ equipment (including weapons) communications equipment, maritime demining

equipment and smaller vessels, maritime helicopters (MH-60R Sea Hawk), a third Arctic

patrol vessel (Knud Rasmussen class), aircraft updates, equipment for special operations

forces and replacement wheeled vehicles for ali the services. Furthermore the process of

selecting a new flghter aircraft has been re-initiated; a decision on the type is expected in

2015. Replacement of the Danish combat aircraft capability will be chailenging given the

size of the investment. However, the planned replacement is part of a long-term

acquisition plan aiming at modernising the equipment of the Danish armed forces in a step

by step manner. in recent years priority has been given to the acquisition of naval surface

ships and presently major acquisitions for the army.

Denmark places a great emphasis on “green defence” and sustainable solutions,

working to ensure that defence operates in an energy efficient way and saves resources

where feasible.

Denmark has maintained on average 8% (some 736 personnel) on land

operations in the past two years (2012-2013). Land forces personnel have participated in

KFOR, ISAF, and several UN missions. Denmark has deployed SOF Task Force 7 (TF-7)

as part of the ISAF SOF organization. Although combat units will be withdrawn from

Afghanistan by mid 2014, a smaller Danish military commitment of up to 150 personnei will

remain in the theatre throughout 2014 to conduct training in the Kabui area. Since 2008

Denmark has contributed to Operation Ocean Shield with one large unit for six months

each year. It contributes to the Standing Naval Forces (SNF) with a fiagship, including the

staif, every three or four years, the next being in the second half of 2014. Denmark is the

lead nation for the maritime transport support to the joint OPCW-UN mission to remove

chemical agents from Syria and has provided one roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) cargo ship (Ark

Futura) and an Absaion class liftoral combat ship as an escort. in 2012 and 2013, the air

force contributed one C-130 medium transport aircraft, one mobile air control centre and

HQ staif and personnel for an OMLT in support of the ISAF mission. ln the second half of

2014 Denmark will contribute two/three EH-lOl Merlin troop transport hehcopters in

support of the ISAF mission. It also provided

two

CL-604 Chailenger aircraft for maritime

patrol missions in support of Operation Ocean Shield for four months and two months and

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C-M(2014)0027 (DE-OVERVIEW)

an average aften personnel each to UN missions in Korea (UNCMAC), Liberia (UNMIL),

South Sudan (UNMISS) and Syria (UNTSO). It also contributed four F-16 combat aircraft

to the NATO air policing mission in the Baltic states far four months. Denmark will

reinforce the NATO air policing mission in the Baltic states from May to August 2014 with

four (plus two) F-16 fighter aircraft. in 2013 it continued to support the four UN missions

with an average of six personnel. Denmark contributed a surgical team to the United

Kingdom’s role 2 enhanced medical treatment facility in Camp Bastian in Afghanistan. In

2012 Denmark’s Peace and Stabilisation Response mechanism/arrangements provided a

total of 51 civilian personnel in support of operations, including personnel to EU civilian

crisis management missions, the United Kingdom-led provincial reconstruction team in

ISAF änd NATO. In 2013 Denmark seconded 41 civilian experts. Denmark had some 40-

50 police officers continuously deployed on international missions in 2013. In addition,

Denmark makes regular contributions to the NRF and has increased ts contributions

following the reductions in ISAF. The land forces strength for 2013 was 8,770 with 5,687

(64.8%) deployable and 1000 (11.4%) sustainable personnel. Denmark has 11 ships, ali

of which are deployable, and one (9%) is sustainable. It also has 66 aircraft (excluding

SAR and training aircraft and those ifl deep storage) of which 48 (72.7%) are deployable

and eight (12.1%) are sustainable.

A land forces structure reform, including future capability development

programmes, started in 2014 with a continued focus on the battalion battie group level.

Denmark will provide the mechanised infantry baffalion group sought by NATO Capability

Targets. It is also able to provide the requested mechanised infantry brigade but would

need 24 months notice to do so, some 18 months longer than required by the relevant

NATO Capability Target. Moreover, the brigade and the deployable mechanised infantry

battalion group have some capability shortfails (lack of ground based air defence (GBAD)

(noting that this capability is not a NATO Capability Target requirement for Denmark),

unattended ground sensors team and brigade level ISTAR, and some engineer

capabilities). The current combat battalions and combat support and combat service

support units are to be reconfigured into three larger standing core battie groups with one

battie group on high-readiness. From these three baifle groups Denmark will be able to

fulfihl three task-tailored baifle group rotations. Following renewed political approval, and

the necessary supplementary force production, a further three battie group rotations can

be undertaken based mi the skeleton baule groups, and thereby a mission can be

sustained, while meeting the national rotation policy. For non-Article V operations, that is

a six-month depioyment followed by

two

and a half years at home. One division and

two

Brigade headquarters will remain, primarily to provide force production including force

development, general training and mission tailored training and exercise.

Denmark has land and maritime SOF from the army (Special Operations Land

Task Group (SOLTG)) and the navy (Special Operation Maritime Task Group (SOMTG)),

which are organized under the army and navy operational commands, respectively. The

Defence Agreement mandates the establishment of a new Special Operation Command

(SOCOM) from 2014, achieving fuli operational capabflity in 2018. Once fully operational

the SOCOM will be the backbone of a Special Operation Component Command

Framework Minus (SOCC FRWK(-)) as lead nation. The SOF air capability is dual-hatted

and will be improved with the establishment of a Special Operations Air Task Group

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C-M(2014)0027 (DE-OVERVIEV’

(SOATG) with two Special Operation Air Task Units (SOATU) in 2014. A SOATU-FW will

have access to one C-130J and a SOATU-RW to

two

EH-lOl Merlin helicopters and will

be fudher improved in 2016 with the creation of a second SOATU-RW and access to an

additional

two

El-I-iDi Merlin helicopters

Denmark employs both civilian and military assets within a comprehensive

approach. A steering committee comprising of senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign

Affairs (MFA), MoD, the Prime Minister’s office and the Ministry of Justice (M0J) meets on

a monthly basis to discuss relevant issues. For specific missions and operations, such as

Afghanistan, a special task force is established. Denmark will provide S&R capabilities as

requested by the relevant NATO Capability Targets.

The structure of the Royal Danish Navy continues to be built up in accordance with

10.

the current and previous Defence Agreements and when the third, and last, Knud

Rasmussen Arctic patrol vessel enters service (by 2018) the restructuring will be complete

It reflects a reorientation away from a coastal fleet, made up of numerous small and mid

sized units, to an ocean-going fleet, composed of fewer but larger units, designed to be

able to respond to the entre spectrum of maritime operations. The core of the navy is

three 6,000 ton multi-role Iver Huiffeldt class frigates and

two

6,300 ton Absalon class

littoral combat ships, these are supplemented by four 3,500 ton Thetis class and

two

Knud

Rasmussen Arctic ocean patrol vessels that are mainly designed and dedicated to

patrolling the Arctic and North Atlantic areas Denmark fulfils most of the capability

codes/statements for warship capable for its primary warships. However, despite an

ambition to be able to engage in the full spectrum of NATO operations, the ability to

provide kinetic effects in high intensity engagements is, currently, somewhat limited owing

to the relatively limited fire power (anti-air warfare and anti-submarine warfare) of the

major units.

Denmark has reduced the size of its combat air fleet but provides a substantial

proportion of its air assets as deployable contributions for expeditionary operations. Its

main fixed-wing capabilities are 30 multirole F-16 multirole combat aircraft, four C-130J

transport aircraft and three CL-604 MPA Out of 14 EH-lOl Merlin transport helicopters,

Denmark will provide six for deployed operations, the others being reserved for national

tasks. Four of the six deployable helicopters and one C-130 transport aircraft will be

capable of CSAR and SOF missions. The air force will be able to meet most NATO

Capability Targets, although it Iacks sufficient deployable air base support and protection

modules, and will therefore be dependent on other nations to operate from deployed

locations. Denmark has also no intention of acquiring an air-to-air refuelling capability or a

long range ISR platform. Aircraft are suitably equipped with self protection devices and

are able to operate by day and night under adverse weather conditions Stockpiles of

precision guided munitions are below NATO targets and stand-off weapons are not part of

the inventory Denmark has taken an initiative to explore possibilities for multinational

cooperation to ensure higher availability of precision guided munitions. This could evolve

into a Smart Defence project. Denmark is a member of NAPMO and the AGS programme.

ACCS will be incorporated into Denmark’s air defence network.

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C-M(2014)0027 (DE-OVERVlE

Denmark meets ali the strategic lift capability requirements as requested by the

12.

NATO Capability Targets by a combination of role specific military assets, participation in

many multinational arrangements, and a range of assured and spot contracts. Denmark is

capable of providing sufficient RSOM, logistics, and military engineering support to meet

its deployable level of ambition and with sufficient lead time, it is also able to coordinate

multinational approaches for the provision of Iheatre level capabilities. Although it has

limited speciahsts in aviation and naval medicine, Denmark will provide medical support to

its deployable forces, by contracting medical speciaFsts, such as surgeons and

anaesthesiologists, If necessary. Denmark will provide adequate CBRN individual and

coliective protective equipment, basic level detection, decontamination, and CBRN reach

back capabilities to its deployable forces. However, it will nat be able to provide CBRN

medical capabilities. Denmark has adequate C3 capabilities and advance information

assurance for static networks. lt is developing a national mission network based on the

experience gained from the Afghan Mission Network. lncreased resources have been

allocated to cyber defence. A national cyber defence policy is being developed and the

MILCERT will reach full operational capability by the end of 2014. Denmark will further

improve its cyber security and will gain an offensive cyber operation capability when the

computer network operations capability is established by 2017.

13.

The strength of the Danish armed forces at the end of 2013 was some 17,500

military personnel, including conscripts, suppoded by about 5,300 civilians. Under the

Defence Agreement 2013-2017, military personnel numbers will remain, approximately, at

this level, although the number of civilians will reduce to some 4,800 the end of 2017.

Although recruitment is flot a problem in general, the armed forces still have shortages at

the NCO level and in EOD and lED disposal specialists. The Defence Agreement

reaffirms the principle of consoription to 2020 at least and 4,200 conscripts will continue to

be called up annually. The proportion of GDP devoted to defence has increased slightly

from 1.3% in 2007 to 1.4% in 2014. Compared to 2008, defence expenditure in 2014 is

expected to be 2.2% lower in real terms. For 2014, a real increase of 2.7% in defence

expenditure is projected. Thereafter, as the effects of the current Defence Agreement are

felt, real decreases of 11.6% and 0.6% are projected for 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Defence expenditure is expected to be stable in 2017. Spending an malor equipment is

estimated to have been 9.9% in 2013 and is forecastto rise to 11.3% in 2014 and 12.2%

iii

2015. Thereafter, itis projected to be around 11% in 2016-18.

14.

Denmark is aiming to maintain its operational output and has introduced a baifle

group structure, under severe budgetary pressure. The army will have three standing

battle groups, one at high readiness, and will retain its ability to participate in operations.

The defence budget will decline in 2015 and 2016. introducing a new lighter aircraft will

be a challenge resource wise and Denmark should ensure that the procurement does nat

adversely affect other parts of the armed forces.

OriginaL English

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