The Danish government is limiting parliamentary oversight to speed up arms purchases and creating a multibillion-dollar rearmament fund.

DR reported on this.

The decision to prepare a foundation for rapid rearmament and procurement was made after two threats to Denmark emerged: from Russia, which attacked Ukraine and is a threat to NATO, and from the United States, which intends to take Greenland from Denmark.

According to the newspaper, the rearmament fund is called the Acceleration Fund. The work on its creation has been going on for some time, and in the process of preparation, according to DR, the government considered placing up to DKK 100 billion ($9.5 billion) in the fund.

The government of the Kingdom of Denmark believes that Denmark currently has a very limited amount of military equipment, so its procurement should be done with less control and bureaucracy than it is currently.

The government has confirmed that there are plans for rapid rearmament, which will take place outside of the usual EU procurement procedures. This possibility is enshrined in the legislation if it is necessary to protect national security.

“Based on the security situation and the seriousness of the situation, we will have to accelerate the acquisition of what we need to strengthen our combat power,” said Trolls Lund Poulsen, Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Denmark.

The first DKK 25 billion ($2.3 billion) of the fund is planned to be used this year, and the rest of the money will be used in 2026 and beyond.

According to the publication, in discussions about the new defense fund, the government, among other things, discussed using the money to purchase air defense systems that Denmark does not currently have.

Militarnyi previously reported that Denmark was reorienting the design of future patrol ships to perform tasks in the Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, thus strengthening its presence in Greenland.

The Danish Ministry of Defence has agreed with the shipbuilding consortium Danske Patruljeskibe K/S to amend the design of patrol ships, the contract for which had been signed in 2023.

Strengthening presence in the Atlantic

The change in priorities in Denmark’s defense policy is explained by Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO, which to some extent relieves the country of some of its responsibility in the region and opens up opportunities to shift attention to the Atlantic Ocean.

However, chronologically, the intensification of defense measures also correlates with the statements of the U.S. President Donald Trump, who said that Greenland was an absolute necessity for US defense.

The very next day after that, the Danish Ministry of Defence announced the allocation of $1.5 billion to purchase new equipment, strengthen the presence and purchase new patrol ships to increase the presence.

“Over the years, we have not invested enough in the Arctic, and now we plan to strengthen our presence,” said Defence Minister Poulsen.