Frigate purchase will show whether Denmark understands the world it lives in, former army officer says

Denmark’s planned purchase of new frigates will reveal whether the country has learned that security must also be produced at home, argues Andreas Birk-Petersen, a senior consultant and former army officer.

Denmark currently operates three Iver Huitfeldt-class frigates, which a majority in parliament has agreed to replace. The new vessels are expected to become a central pillar of the Danish navy’s deterrence.

Birk-Petersen places the decision within a rapid expansion of European defense spending. Denmark has already made historically large purchases, including air and missile defense systems. The frigates represent another major acquisition.

The central question, he writes, is whether Denmark will continue buying security from abroad or recognize the value of maintaining the ability to produce security itself.

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Will we continue to buy our security abroad, or have we understood that it also pays to be able to produce security ourselves?