Royal Danish Army
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The Royal Danish Army is the army of Denmark. It is currently undergoing a thorough modernization of equipment and training methods, reducing the size of the conscripted force and increasing expenditure on international missions.
The Danish Army operates Leopard 2 battle tanks (A4 all upgraded to A5 standard), a variety of M113 based personnel carriers (e.g. OPMV command post vehicle, M113/TOW tank destroyer) and Piranha armored cars.
For fire support, the Danish Army operates M109 self propelled howitzers. (The M270 MRLS Rocket Launchers was abandoned in 2005)
Troops are primarily equipped with Diemaco C7 or C8, a licensed Canadian version of the M16 rifle. In the supporting role, troops are equipped with MG3 light machine guns and Diemaco LSW as well as Carl Gustav M3 recoilless rifles and single-shot AT4 for anti-tank operations.
Additionally, a variant of the Cayuse is used as a light observation helicopter and a lightly armoured Eurocopter Fennec anti-tank helicopter equipped with TOW missiles is used for rapid battlefield support.
The Royal Danish Army is committed to a number of UN and NATO peacekeeping operations, especially Bosnia. The Danish Reaction Brigade, drawn mainly from units from Zealand, is assigned to the NATO Headquarters Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps but falls under the organisational control of 1 (UK) Armoured Division when required.
Denmark is involved in the invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq.
Denmark lost its first soldier, in Iraq, on August 17, 2003. Preben Pedersen of Nordjylland, a 34-year-old lance corporal with the Jutland Dragoon Regiment, was accidentally killed by friendly troops, in a gunfight with looters in the city of Madinah in southern Iraq, becoming the first non-U.S. or British soldier to die.
Units of the Royal Danish Army
Cavalry
Infantry
Special Forces
Support Arms
- Danske Artilleriregiment - Artillery
- Ingeniørregimentet - Engineers
- Telegrafregimentet - Signals
- Trænregimentet - Logistics
- Militærpolitiet - Military Police
Structure of the Royal Danish Army
The structure of the Royal Danish Army changed in 2001, when all of the remaining infantry regiments were amalgamated together, leaving just four remaining combat regiments, two cavalry and two infantry - the functions of the infantry were spread amongst three of these.Cavalry
The armoured corps of the Royal Danish Army consists of both armoured and armoured reconnaissance units. There are two separate cavalry regiments, each of which has two armoured battalions and a reconnaissance battalion:- Armoured Battalions
- *I Panserbataljon, Gardehusarregimentet
- *I Panserbataljon, Jydske Dragonregiment
- *III Panserbataljon, Jydske Dragonregiment
- *V Panserbataljon, Gardehusarregimentet
- Reconnaissance Battalions
- *III Opklaringsbataljon, Gardehusarregimentet
- *V Opklaringsbataljon, Jydske Dragonregiment
Infantry
The infantry corps of the Royal Danish Army is divided into two types, each of which has nine battalions in three separate regiments:- Mechanised Infantry:
- *I Panserinfanteribataljon, Den Kongelige Livgarde
- *I Panserinfanteribataljon, Prinsens Livregiment
- *II Panserinfanteribataljon, Den Kongelige Livgarde
- *II Panserinfanteribataljon, Prinsens Livregiment
- *II Panserinfanteribataljon, Gardehusarregimentet
- *III Panserinfanteribataljon, Den Kongelige Livgarde
- *IV Panserinfanteribataljon, Prinsens Livregiment
- *IV Panserinfanteribataljon, Gardehusarregimentet
- *V Panserinfanteribataljon, Prinsens Livregiment
- Motorised Infantry:
- *III Motoriseredeinfanteribataljon, Prinsens Livregiment
- *IV Motoriseredeinfanteribataljon, Den Kongelige Livgarde
- *V Motoriseredeinfanteribataljon, Den Kongelige Livgarde
- *VI Motoriseredeinfanteribataljon, Den Kongelige Livgarde
- *VI Motoriseredeinfanteribataljon, Prinsens Livregiment
- *VI Motoriseredeinfanteribataljon, Gardehusarregimentet
- *VII Motoriseredeinfanteribataljon, Den Kongelige Livgarde
- *VII Motoriseredeinfanteribataljon, Prinsens Livregiment
- *VII Motoriseredeinfanteribataljon, Gardehusarregimentet
Insignia
See also
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