Denmark Increases Its Military Budget Of IDR 114 Trillion To Strengthen Defense

JAKARTA - Denmark will increase its military budget by 50 billion crowns (Rp114,169,600,630,434) this year and next year to address severe shortages, especially in the surface-to-air missile defense system, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Wednesday.

After decades of drastic cuts in defense spending, Denmark last year allocated an additional 190 billion crowns for its military over a span of 10 years, but now has concluded more is needed and must be done immediately.

"Does the world seem uneasy? Yes. Is there any reason to believe that this is coming to an end? No," Prime Minister Frederiksen told a news conference.

"There is one message for the head of defense: Buy, buy, buy."

He further said that procurement would be carried out without going through a long tender procedure as usual.

"If we can't get the best equipment, buy the next best. There's only one thing that matters now and that's speed," said PM Frederiksen.

Earlier, PM Frederiksen on Monday said Russia had become a threat to the rest of Europe, calling on each country to increase its defense spending to protect themselves while increasing their support for Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Troels Defense Minister Lund Poulsen said Denmark's increase would increase overall military spending to 3.2 percent by 2025 from 1.37 percent in 2022, the year when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The investment will weaken the Danish public sector's fiscal balance, changing from a sizeable surplus in recent years to a potential deficit in 2026 of 0.8 percent of GDP, according to government estimates.

Although Denmark is among the largest contributors to aid and military equipment to Ukraine compared to its economic size, the aid has drained its own land force that lacks hardware, ammunition, and staff.

The long period of reduction in domestic power means Denmark has no air defenses and significant shortcomings in its naval capabilities, military experts and government officials say.

Denmark and most other NATO members 'get pressure' from United States President Donald Trump to further increase his military budget.

President Trump said he believed NATO members from Europe should spend 5 percent of their GDP on alliance defense.

"I think NATO should have 5 percent, yes. Yes, you can't do that with two. I mean, with 2 percent of each country, if you're going to have a regular country and the military, you should be at 4 percent. I think they should be in a dangerous area. They're all capable of buying it, but they should be at 5 percent, not 2 percent," he said.