In this week’s Europe Dispatch, Minna Ålander writes about how Denmark is showing that even small states can punch far above their weight and lead by example.
Trump’s behavior and reckless disrespect towards a great ally, Denmark, is reprehensible. He will be formally the lame duck he has always been after the midterm elections.
My hope is the new initiative in Europe spurred by Trump’s fecklessness and Europe’s defense renewal (overdue) synthesizes into a stronger NATO down the line.
It appears that Trump has accomplished one positive outcome...waking Europe up to its military deficiencies. That's no small thing. Thanks, Minna for the update on Denmark. Let's hope they don't have to send some of the newly acquired weaponry to Greenland.
Very interesting post and information I was unaware of regarding the Danes. It's clear that Denmark, in general, is a reflection of Europe's respone to the peace dividend and then re-armament but perhaps with more vigour given all that you have listed. I was particularly interested in their "buy Europe" which I am hoping will be reflected in other European nations.
The US DIB has quite a hold on many nations and it will be challenging for them to ween off buying US equipment but the more Trump bumps his gums and flaps his lips denigrating Europe this will become a fairly easy decision to buy from Europe with the exception of legacy platforms. With regards to Greenland the more Trump threatens the more united Europe will become.
As a Canadian I was very interested to hear about the Canadian-German-Danish-Norwegian partnership agreement for security in the North Atlantic. Hopefully that can also extend to the Arctic and also hopefully Canada will go beyond thinking the announcement was the end result.
En español, Yo soy un Danés ahora! Given Spain’s reluctance to fund anything now (the political scene is almost comically corrupt and chaotic) and I am here in my wife’s native land, had to represent.
In all seriousness, if the Danes can do this, everybody else in Europe can if they have the will and understand the moment. But that is the problem…some get the moment (Germany) but have lacked the will (hoping Merz and Pistorious change that), others simply do not have the will (Spain of all countries who are only 49 years removed from Franco should recognize the moment).
It is a model for all of Europe to aid Ukraine while rearming its own military. It appears to be a model for government finances too with a declining debt. Unlike France and the UK where they are swimming in deficit spending and debt.
What's your view on the Netherlands? Similar financial situation as Denmark and also seem to invest substantial amounts to expand Ukrainian defense industry and stimulate innovation. Furthermore, the armed forces are receiving substantial investments to restore lost capability and develop new ones.
I am a bit handicapped by not speaking or reading Dutch (reading somewhat though) but there’s been a lot of interesting developments in the Netherlands too, especially in terms of European digital sovereignty.
Many thanks for this post. As many here have pointed out, Denmark's very proactive stance towards Ukraine was spurred by not only by Trump's return to power but, above all , by his shameful designs on Greenland. The effect on a small, relatively homogeneous country and hitherto faithful ally of the US, has been electric and cannot be be understated. The Danish government has therefore, and to its credit, lost no time coming to the conclusion that Europe must save itself - and Ukraine - as it can longer count on America. So, no flattery for Trump, no trying to butter him up, just a Danish plain-speaking "NO", get lost, we'll do our own thing from now on. That is the main power of Denmark's example to the rest of Europe. The Baltics, Finland and Sweden have already decided, in their own quiet way, to take this path; Denmark is a harbinger of what other European countries, further from the front line and with more polarised societies, will eventually come round to. The sooner the better !
I think you might have things the wrong way around.
Since 2022, Denmark, alongside the like of Estonia. Latvia, and Lithuania, has led the way in giving proportionally more support to Ukraine than any other nation. Their actions have shamed many other nations and helped, in part, to persuade donors to give more. It's a remarkable act of solidarity and nothing to do with Trump's designs on Greenland in 2025.
Thanks again Minna. Very encouraging to read all of this. I think the downside of all the mass spending on defence in the separate countries is the national part. I think it's more realistic and visionairy to focus on European strength . So that would mean that every country or an alliance of countries specializes in separate capabilities, a bit of which is reflected in the White paper 2030 of the EU militairy staff. The EUMS strikes towards more partnership, more interoperability and facilitating efficiencies. Do you think the focus and heavy investing of Denmark in Special Forces is part of this new vision? Or am I too optimistic and confident on a supranational European defence. After all, the idea of a nation state and national defence is part of the European Union but also its main adversary in my opinion.
Reading your list, and other reports, it is clear that Denmark intends to contribute to every part of NATO's order of battle that it can with F-35s, air tankers, new warships, a heavy armoured brigade (as you say, it's highest priority), drone warfare, upgrading its artillery, the Patria Common Armoured Vehicle System for its light infantry regiment and so on.
Regenerating its ground-based air defence by scooping up whatever is available was a very smart move. Modern air defence systems usually take two years to build, often a lot longer (they are fiendishly complex pieces of equipment to manufacture) and manufacturers orders books were already full for many years to come. Without those defences Denmark geographical position makes it very vulnerable to Russian air attack.
Btw, the Danish navy did a great job photographing the Russian specialist diving vessels lurking over the sites of the Nordstream blasts in the days beforehand.
If you are looking for a nation abandoning the combined arms concept to specialise, North Macedonia is a fascinating study. It decided not to buy new tanks after, in an act of great solidarity, it gave all it had to Ukraine, something no other nation has done. Instead it will concentrate on drone warfare and mobile infantry. Given the terrain it has to defend, that makes perfect sense.
You only have to look at the stupendous amount of money the EU proposes to make available as cheap loans to rebuild the its (and other allies) military strength whilst using those loans to shape what is bought, to see that events are moving partially in the direction you would like. But remember the EU is not NATO, which is a much wider military alliance and, even if Trump withdraws, stronger than the EU could be. Unless, of course the EU becomes a unitary state, the likelihood of which is vanishingly small.
While Denmark might not be able to do much itself, it is certainly able to set a good example for larger nations to follow. I wish the democratic nations could take the initiative for once instead of sluggishly reacting to things. But a large part of this is public opinion/public pressure. If the public don't want their tax dollars to be spent defending against Russia, politicians will not take initiative there.
Yes it’s on the one hand the compactness but also most of all Denmark’s solid fiscal situation and healthy economy that enable it to spend more than many other countries in Europe can (even larger ones)
It is and it isn't dong more than larger countries. As a proportion of its GDP and what equipment it made avaialble, Denmark and the other Baltics out-donate other nations. But the totals are small compared to the UK, Germany, and, yes, America too.
This was just what I needed to read today after reading an article titled "tRUMP promised Patriots for Ukraine but Europe got the invoice". Denmark is one of the countries willing to pay the U.S. for Patriots and other weapons for Ukraine but France and Italy are not, preferring to fund their own domestic defense industries. Looks like Denmark recognized the U.S. has abdicated its position of leader of free world, Ukraine is the front line of Europe's war against russia and if Ukraine falls, Denmark and the rest of Europe must defend themselves against lil' putin's quest to conquer Europe and build "the third russian empire". https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/07/17/reuters-trump-promised-patriots-for-ukraine-europe-got-the-invoice/
Trump’s behavior and reckless disrespect towards a great ally, Denmark, is reprehensible. He will be formally the lame duck he has always been after the midterm elections.
My hope is the new initiative in Europe spurred by Trump’s fecklessness and Europe’s defense renewal (overdue) synthesizes into a stronger NATO down the line.
I could feel my blood pressure dropping in real time as I read this article. :-)
> Like for so many Western European countries, only Donald Trump’s return to the White House jolted Denmark into action.
Possibly the only good thing which will come out of this administration.
Our right wing party here in Australia suffered a wipeout thanks to Trump, so I have to thank him for that too.
Defeated the right-wing party in Canada too.
Agree.
These are the same people who saved their Jewish fellow citizens from the Nazis.
Because they Just. Said. No.
It appears that Trump has accomplished one positive outcome...waking Europe up to its military deficiencies. That's no small thing. Thanks, Minna for the update on Denmark. Let's hope they don't have to send some of the newly acquired weaponry to Greenland.
Very interesting post and information I was unaware of regarding the Danes. It's clear that Denmark, in general, is a reflection of Europe's respone to the peace dividend and then re-armament but perhaps with more vigour given all that you have listed. I was particularly interested in their "buy Europe" which I am hoping will be reflected in other European nations.
The US DIB has quite a hold on many nations and it will be challenging for them to ween off buying US equipment but the more Trump bumps his gums and flaps his lips denigrating Europe this will become a fairly easy decision to buy from Europe with the exception of legacy platforms. With regards to Greenland the more Trump threatens the more united Europe will become.
As a Canadian I was very interested to hear about the Canadian-German-Danish-Norwegian partnership agreement for security in the North Atlantic. Hopefully that can also extend to the Arctic and also hopefully Canada will go beyond thinking the announcement was the end result.
En español, Yo soy un Danés ahora! Given Spain’s reluctance to fund anything now (the political scene is almost comically corrupt and chaotic) and I am here in my wife’s native land, had to represent.
In all seriousness, if the Danes can do this, everybody else in Europe can if they have the will and understand the moment. But that is the problem…some get the moment (Germany) but have lacked the will (hoping Merz and Pistorious change that), others simply do not have the will (Spain of all countries who are only 49 years removed from Franco should recognize the moment).
God bless Denmark!
It is a model for all of Europe to aid Ukraine while rearming its own military. It appears to be a model for government finances too with a declining debt. Unlike France and the UK where they are swimming in deficit spending and debt.
Thanks Minna for the update.
What's your view on the Netherlands? Similar financial situation as Denmark and also seem to invest substantial amounts to expand Ukrainian defense industry and stimulate innovation. Furthermore, the armed forces are receiving substantial investments to restore lost capability and develop new ones.
I am a bit handicapped by not speaking or reading Dutch (reading somewhat though) but there’s been a lot of interesting developments in the Netherlands too, especially in terms of European digital sovereignty.
Many thanks for this post. As many here have pointed out, Denmark's very proactive stance towards Ukraine was spurred by not only by Trump's return to power but, above all , by his shameful designs on Greenland. The effect on a small, relatively homogeneous country and hitherto faithful ally of the US, has been electric and cannot be be understated. The Danish government has therefore, and to its credit, lost no time coming to the conclusion that Europe must save itself - and Ukraine - as it can longer count on America. So, no flattery for Trump, no trying to butter him up, just a Danish plain-speaking "NO", get lost, we'll do our own thing from now on. That is the main power of Denmark's example to the rest of Europe. The Baltics, Finland and Sweden have already decided, in their own quiet way, to take this path; Denmark is a harbinger of what other European countries, further from the front line and with more polarised societies, will eventually come round to. The sooner the better !
I think you might have things the wrong way around.
Since 2022, Denmark, alongside the like of Estonia. Latvia, and Lithuania, has led the way in giving proportionally more support to Ukraine than any other nation. Their actions have shamed many other nations and helped, in part, to persuade donors to give more. It's a remarkable act of solidarity and nothing to do with Trump's designs on Greenland in 2025.
The people of Denmark deserve our admiration.
Thanks Minna for the depth of detail! "God is in the details."
Thanks again Minna. Very encouraging to read all of this. I think the downside of all the mass spending on defence in the separate countries is the national part. I think it's more realistic and visionairy to focus on European strength . So that would mean that every country or an alliance of countries specializes in separate capabilities, a bit of which is reflected in the White paper 2030 of the EU militairy staff. The EUMS strikes towards more partnership, more interoperability and facilitating efficiencies. Do you think the focus and heavy investing of Denmark in Special Forces is part of this new vision? Or am I too optimistic and confident on a supranational European defence. After all, the idea of a nation state and national defence is part of the European Union but also its main adversary in my opinion.
I think you’re onto something - since Denmark doesn’t have many other obvious strengths (yet), maybe SOF is what they’re going for :)
Reading your list, and other reports, it is clear that Denmark intends to contribute to every part of NATO's order of battle that it can with F-35s, air tankers, new warships, a heavy armoured brigade (as you say, it's highest priority), drone warfare, upgrading its artillery, the Patria Common Armoured Vehicle System for its light infantry regiment and so on.
Regenerating its ground-based air defence by scooping up whatever is available was a very smart move. Modern air defence systems usually take two years to build, often a lot longer (they are fiendishly complex pieces of equipment to manufacture) and manufacturers orders books were already full for many years to come. Without those defences Denmark geographical position makes it very vulnerable to Russian air attack.
Btw, the Danish navy did a great job photographing the Russian specialist diving vessels lurking over the sites of the Nordstream blasts in the days beforehand.
If you are looking for a nation abandoning the combined arms concept to specialise, North Macedonia is a fascinating study. It decided not to buy new tanks after, in an act of great solidarity, it gave all it had to Ukraine, something no other nation has done. Instead it will concentrate on drone warfare and mobile infantry. Given the terrain it has to defend, that makes perfect sense.
You only have to look at the stupendous amount of money the EU proposes to make available as cheap loans to rebuild the its (and other allies) military strength whilst using those loans to shape what is bought, to see that events are moving partially in the direction you would like. But remember the EU is not NATO, which is a much wider military alliance and, even if Trump withdraws, stronger than the EU could be. Unless, of course the EU becomes a unitary state, the likelihood of which is vanishingly small.
While Denmark might not be able to do much itself, it is certainly able to set a good example for larger nations to follow. I wish the democratic nations could take the initiative for once instead of sluggishly reacting to things. But a large part of this is public opinion/public pressure. If the public don't want their tax dollars to be spent defending against Russia, politicians will not take initiative there.
That is true. Denmark has the benefit of small size and relative homogeneity that helps communicate shared goals
Thank you for this very interesting and informative post.
I am intrigued why Denmark is doing more than most of the other larger European countries.
Is it easier to do so in a smaller country somehow?
Yes it’s on the one hand the compactness but also most of all Denmark’s solid fiscal situation and healthy economy that enable it to spend more than many other countries in Europe can (even larger ones)
It is and it isn't dong more than larger countries. As a proportion of its GDP and what equipment it made avaialble, Denmark and the other Baltics out-donate other nations. But the totals are small compared to the UK, Germany, and, yes, America too.
This was just what I needed to read today after reading an article titled "tRUMP promised Patriots for Ukraine but Europe got the invoice". Denmark is one of the countries willing to pay the U.S. for Patriots and other weapons for Ukraine but France and Italy are not, preferring to fund their own domestic defense industries. Looks like Denmark recognized the U.S. has abdicated its position of leader of free world, Ukraine is the front line of Europe's war against russia and if Ukraine falls, Denmark and the rest of Europe must defend themselves against lil' putin's quest to conquer Europe and build "the third russian empire". https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/07/17/reuters-trump-promised-patriots-for-ukraine-europe-got-the-invoice/
Slava Ukraini!