Agreement has been reached on the defence budget for the next five years that will see extra funding provided to those serving abroad

After almost three months of negotiations a historic political majority was reached last night to secure extra funds for the defence budget.

For the first time ever, the Socialist People’s Party joined with other opposition parties and the government in agreeing a defence budget that will see an extra 3.5 billion kroner provided to the armed forces between 2010 and 2014. Only the Red Green Alliance opposed the defence plan.

‘We have many soldiers serving abroad and it will mean a lot for them and their relatives that there is broad majority behind the defence forces,’ said Defence Minister Søren Gade.

The Defence Commission report, published in March, called for increased funding but also highlighted the need for savings within the armed forces.

As a result, politicians have decided to enact a range of initiatives designed to save a total of 700 million kroner, including reducing the number of combat vehicles from 57 to 34 and the number of F16 jets from 48 to 30.

The jet reduction is meaningful as it gives an indication of how many new aircraft will be purchased when the decision is finally made on which manufacturer will be awarded the new air force jets contract.

The issue of conscription was also discussed as part of the defence budget negotiations and parliament will further examine if all 18-year-old women should be forced to attend the military's draft board reviews in the same way as their male peers.

Currently all men aged 18 must attend the so-called Defence Day where they are examined for their suitability before a lottery system selects conscription candidates to take part in basic military training.

The extra 3.5 billion kroner will be in addition to the annual budget of 20.48 billion kroner. Of the additional funds, 500 million kroner is a one off payment for the security funding pool, which will allow for emergency purchases by the forces serving internationally.

The news was welcomed by Battalion Commander Frank Lissner, who heads the Danish forces in Afghanistan.

‘In the long term it’s clear it will have significance for us. Put it this way, if more funds weren’t given as part of this defence budget, there would have been consequences for soldiers in Afghanistan. For example, we’ve already lost three medical armoured vehicles which were totally destroyed by mines and the army is already stretched to its limit,’ said Col. Lissner.

There are currently around 700 Danish soldiers serving in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force. Denmark’s participation in the coalition effort in Afghanistan has seen 26 soldiers lose their lives since 2002.