The Danish Defence (Forsvaret) is the unified armed forces of the Kingdom of Denmark, charged with the defence of Denmark and its constituent, self-governing nations Greenland and the Faroe Islands. The Queen is the Commander-in-chief in accordance with the Danish constitution, and under the Danish Defence Law the Minister of Defence serves as the commander of the Danish Defence (through the Chief of Defence and the Defence Command) and the Danish Home Guard (through the Home Guard Command). De facto the Danish Cabinet is the commanding authority of the Defence, though it cannot mobilize the armed forces, for purposes that are not strictly defence oriented, without the consent of parliament. Technically all Danish 18-year-old males are conscripts. Due to the large number of volunteers, 96-99% of the number required in the past three years, the number of men actually called up is relatively low (4200 in 2012). There has been a right of conscientious objection since 1917. The Danish Defence motto is Fordi noget er værd at kæmpe for! (Because some things are worth fighting for!).
Danish Defence
