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Denmark

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Capital: Copenhagen
Area: 43,094 sq km
Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts
Population (July 2011 estimate): 5,529,888
Official language(s): no official language, though Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (and Inuit dialect) and German are spoken
International Organizations and Agreements: United Nations, NATO, European Union, World Trade Organization, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Council of Europe, Nordic Council, Baltic Council, Barents Council

Denmark and the United States have long enjoyed a close and mutually beneficial relationship. Denmark and the United States consult closely on European and other regional political and security matters and cooperate extensively to promote peace and stability well beyond Europe’s borders. Danish troops support International Security Assistance Force-led stabilization efforts in Afghanistan.

Approximately 150 U.S. military personnel are assigned to Thule Air Base, Greenland, and various other locations in mainland Denmark. There are Acquisition and Cross-Servicing and Status of Forces Agreements in place there.

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) base and early warning radar facility at Thule, in northwest Greenland, serves as a vital link in Western and NATO defenses. In August 2004, the Danish and Greenland Home Rule governments signed agreements allowing for an upgrade of the Thule early warning radar in connection with a role in the U.S. ballistic missile defense system. Additionally, Denmark regularly participates in exercises Combined Endeavor, Noble Titan and Baltic Operations.

The country is a strong supporter of international peacekeeping. Danish forces were heavily engaged in the former Yugoslavia in the UN Protection Force (UNPROFOR), as well as in NATO's Operation Joint Endeavor/Stabilization Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (IFOR/SFOR), and currently in the Kosovo Force (KFOR). It also participates in UNIFIL (Lebanon) and has twice commanded a NATO maritime task force against piracy off the coast of Somalia. Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S., Denmark has been highly proactive in endorsing and implementing United States, UN, NATO, and EU-initiated counter-terrorism measures. 

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  • June 28, 2010

    NATO chaplains work to be Stronger Together

    Military chaplains from Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Canada, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Italy, and the U.S. comprised the group that met at the Italian Air Force (ITAF) Headquarters for the annual NATO Air Force Chaplains Conference in Rome from June 13-18.
  • September 18, 2009

    EUCOM Legal Conference

    Senior legal experts from over 30 European nations are meeting at the EUCOM International Legal Conference beginning Sep. 22, 2009,  in Garmisch, Germany.  Co-sponsored by the George C. Marshall Center, this week-long event will encourage discussion on such emerging legal questions as:  what is the military role for ensuring energy security in Europe?  What are the legal and military challenges facing the future of the Arctic/High North in the decades to come? A multinational panel will also discuss trends in Status of Forces Agreements (SOFAs).
  • September 10, 2009

    Excellence in Action: Combined Endeavor’s Regional Site in Denmark

    This past weekend I had the pleasure of meeting the national delegations at Combined Endeavor 2009’s regional site at Bülows Kaserne, Fredericia, Denmark. Delegations at this site are from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Slovenia and Sweden with additional support personnel from the United States, Austria and Germany.
  • April 27, 2009

    Combined Endeavor 2009

    CE – Combined Endeavor – is a large telecommunications exercise sponsored by EUCOM but planned and executed by our partner nations. This year, 2009, we are moving the exercise out of Germany for the first time in our 14 year history to Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a big enough challenge planning this exercise, but this year we add the challenge of building a new infrastructure to support the exercise.