Denmark to create new regiment to defend strategic island of Bornholm

Denmark has decided to increase its military presence on the strategic island of Bornholm, located in the Baltic Sea between the coasts of Sweden and Poland.

According to the Danish newspaper DR, the Danish government has decided to strengthen the army’s presence on Bornholm Island and deploy a new unit there due to the changing security situation in the region.

To do this, they allegedly plan to create a new regiment that will patrol the island and, in the worst-case scenario, take over its defense.

While the standard size of a regiment typically numbers around 1,000 personnel, the size of the planned unit hasn’t yet been disclosed.

Currently, there are about 200 soldiers of the reconnaissance battalion of the Guards Hussars Regiment on the island.

It is allegedly planned to be relocated to a new location, and the island will be entrusted to a newly created unit.

Denmark keeps troops there for a reason. This Danish island has a history of occupation.

Immediately after Germany’s surrender in World War II, Soviet troops occupied the Danish island as a way for the Kremlin to establish control over the Baltic Sea straits. But this occupation lasted less than a year.

Bornholm is located near the borders with Russia, Germany, Poland, and Sweden, making it an important geopolitical hub between Eastern and Western Europe.

The island controls the entrance to the Baltic Sea, which is an important trade route.

Recently, Denmark has also proposed sending military personnel to Greenland. This is due to the fact that last year, US President Donald Trump stated that the United States’ possession and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.

Prior to that, he had expressed interest in buying the island from Denmark in 2019, but was rejected. In 2025, Trump was also told that the island was not for sale and would not be, but that Denmark could cooperate more with the United States.