Denmark has announced plans to extend military conscription to women.
It also wants to increase the standard service time from four to eleven months, and boost its defense budget by $6bn in the next five years to meet Nato targets, says the BBC.
„We do not rearm because we want war. We are rearming because we want to avoid it”, assured PM Metter Frederiksen.
The government plans to introduce female conscription from 2026.
Only Norway and Sweden require women to serve in the armed forces in Europe.
Denmark has been one of the staunchest supporters of Ukraine, providing it with advanced weapons and funds, and also training Ukrainian pilots on US-made F-16 war planes. Meanwhile, Finland and Sweden have recently joined Nato.
Unveiling the reforms on Wednesday, Metter Frederiksen said the government was seeking to achieve „full equality between the sexes”.
Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said: „More robust conscription, including full gender equality, must contribute to solving defence challenges, national mobilisation and manning our armed forces.”
Women in the Scandinavian country can already volunteer for military service.
Last year, 4,700 people served military service, of which about 25% were women. This number will be increased to 5,000 per year.
Denmark’s armed forces currently number about 20,000 active personnel, including some 9,000 professional troops.
