Denmark and the U.S. signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement in December 2023, the latest move by a Nordic nation to strengthen military ties with Washington. AFP/GETTY IMAGES
THE WATCH STAFF
Denmark and the U.S. have agreed on a pact that would allow U.S. forces to operate on Danish soil for the next decade. The deal further strengthens Arctic alliances and helps strengthen the rules-based international order. The 10-year agreement was signed on December 21, 2023, following similar defense arrangements between the U.S., Finland and Sweden earlier that month.
The Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA), which Denmark and the U.S. worked out over the course of 2023, will take effect in about a year. “This means that American soldiers and equipment can be permanently stationed on Danish soil,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters at a press conference a week earlier when the deal was announced, according to Reuters.
The pact reflects a shift in Danish foreign policy, which is spelled out in a new foreign and security policy released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in May 2023.The policy notes that the Russian invasion of Ukraine changed the calculus for Danish national security, and it emphasizes Denmark’s long-standing alliance with the U.S.
“The USA will continue to be Denmark’s most important security policy ally, and we must continue to strengthen the transatlantic bond. Together with the USA and our other partners, Denmark must stand by the fundamental principles of a rules-based international order. In the future, Europe and Denmark must assume greater responsibility in NATO,” the policy states.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin celebrated the pact in a social media post shortly after the announcement. “It is the next step in our long-standing defense relationship with a NATO member. The DCA will strengthen our bilateral military-to-military cooperation along with the NATO alliance,” Austin wrote on X, the social media platform.
At the signing ceremony, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the agreement binds the U.S. and Denmark even more closely on defense and security matters. “When the DCA takes effect, our countries will be able to coordinate more effectively, our troops will remain together, and we will enhance NATO for peace and security across the continent,” Blinken said, according to the news site Diplomatic Insight.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Rasmussen said the deal will help Nordic defense and security, according to the news site. “The U.S. has made similar agreements with our Nordic friends, and we are looking forward to welcoming Sweden in NATO. This defense agreement is a stepping stone towards a more secure Nordic region. You can always count on us, and we can always count on you,” Rasmussen said. Finland signed a DCA with the U.S. a few days earlier, shortly after Sweden inked a similar agreement with Washington. Norway made a similar deal with the U.S. in 2021.