Danish Defence Forces

The Danish Defence Forces (DDF; Danish: Forsvaret, lit. "the Defence") are the armed forces of the Kingdom of Denmark, or more accurately of the Danish Realm, as they are also responsible for the military defence of the Faroe Islands and Danish Antilles. The DDF consists of the Danish Army (Hæren, the fourth-largest standing army in Europe), the Danish Navy (Søværnet, a blue-water navy with 255 commissioned ships, the third-largest navy in Europe after the Russian Navy and Finnish Navy), the Danish Aerospace Force (Flyvevåbnet, capable of both airspace and space warfare), and the Danish Home Guard (Hjemmeværnet, a standing, part-time reserve force). The DDF is charged with the defence of the Danish Realm and Danish interests, as well as assisting the military defence of allies; it also supports international peacekeeping efforts and is trained in the rapid, efficient provision of humanitarian aid anywhere across the globe.

Since the creation of a standing military in 1510, the Danish military has seen action in many wars, mostly involving Sweden, but also involving the world's great powers in conflicts including the Thirty Years' War, the Great Northern War, the Napoleonic Wars, and World War I. Under the Danish Defence Law (Forsvarslov), the Defence Command and the Home Guard Command answer to the General Staff of the DDF, which in turn answer to the Minister of Defence who is part of the Cabinet of Denmark. The DDF can be mobilised informally (at the instigation of the General Staff or Minister of Defence, without specific due process) as far as regards the defence of sovereign Danish territory; however, the activation and mobilisation of the armed forces for supportive and/or offensive operations abroad requires the approval of the Danish Parliament.