Politics
Denmark’s military spending on the rise as world’s powers sharpen claws
Sebastian Haw
March 15th, 2023
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Denmark is seeking to buy cold-weather drones that can operate at -40°C (photo: GeeJo)
Yesterday the prime minister of Mongolia told British newspaper The Times of his fears that the world is sliding into a new Cold War. This can only be bad news, he lamented, for small democracies like his, which is squeezed between the gargantuan autocracies of Russia and China.
What about proverbially tiny Denmark then? It seems some of the Mongolians’ fears of escalation are shared by the government here, as military spending continues to rise.
Recently Store Bededag was scrapped in order to free up more money for the military, and the government is already putting the extra resources to good use.
S!REN song
One new defence proposal is a new doomsday alarm called S!RENEN, which will sound a loud siren on people’s phones in case of an impending catastrophe.
There is no need to download a special app: in case of emergency the warning will be sent directly by mobile service providers to mobile phones, along with information and instructions regarding what to do.
This new measure will come into effect in April.
Meanwhile in another development, Denmark has issued a multimillion-dollar tender to buy small drones that operate in cold temperatures.
These could come in handy in Denmark’s far-flung territories such as Greenland, which has drawn the interest of global powers due to the potential of its natural resources.
Frightening times
Based on recent events, it looks like Mongolia’s fears of escalation are justified. Yesterday a US drone was downed by Russian fighter jets over the Black Sea in a move dubbed as “reckless” by the American military.
Elswhere, the US and the UK have agreed to provide Australia with nuclear submarines in order to give the West more clout in the Pacific.
In response, China issued a typically menacing statement, declaring that the West is treading “a path of error and danger”.
Small countries are understandably nervous as sparks begin to fly between these vast military powers. Sometimes it must feel as though all they can do is watch.
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