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Denmark said Thursday it would invest 40 billion kroner ($5.5 billion) in its navy over the next 20 years and upgrade its fleet to meet new security needs following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Scandinavian country is ready to begin building its own warships, Defence Minister Morten Bodskov said, as he presented a partnership with industry actors.
“We are facing a serious situation in Europe. There is war in Europe. We have just been through a corona pandemic, and common to both is that it has created problems for our security of supply,” Bodskov told reporters.
“It is not viable, especially in times of war in Europe, for the Danish defence to have problems getting ships and other equipment built”, he said.
“That is why we are taking action now” to be able to upgrade Denmark’s fleet, he added.
Bodskov did not disclose how many ships would be built over the next two decades, but said a number of vessels were ageing and would need to be replaced.
“It is a large part of our fleet,” he said, citing patrol ships, smaller vessels that do coastal rescues, inspection ships and frigates.