Danish military news

On January 14th, the Inspection frigate Thetis of the Royal Danish Navy set out on a 7,000 nautical mile journey to take up her duties for the UN, protecting food supply ships from the notorious pirates who operate out of Somalia. She is expected to arrive on February 1st in time to take over the job from the French Navy. Travelling with the ship are an undisclosed number of Danish special forces soldiers from the Frømandskorpset whose job will be to travel on civilian freighters in case these are attacked.

Head of Søværnets Operative Kommando, Rear-admiral Nils Wang (what a name!) is quoted on the HOK site; "The mission is a very important task which the crew of the Thetis, the Frømandskorps and the Military Police are well equipped to face. I am pleased that the Navy can help bring emergency food and aid to one and a half million people. It makes good sense".


Thetis is a hardy little warship whose usual duties are in the far north where she patrols NATO waters, last year in a storm off the Faeroe islands a storm wave ripped off the top of her main gun's cupola! No doubt the warmer weather off Africa will bring its own challenges but at least the crew won't have to worry about being cold.

Thetis is armed with a main 76mm gun (the forward cupola), two 37mm guns, and she has been fitted with up to 12 .50 calibre machine guns for this mission as the pirates are known to operate in smaller vessels. She is also equipped with a Lynx helicopter, can launch depth charges (though I doubt these will be of any use) and carries Stinger AA missiles.

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Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, things are hotting up for Danish troops. Quietly, Denmark finally sent the tanks which were debated so hotly in the Danish parliment last year after repeated requests by the troops on the ground for tank support (in other words the socialists failed to prevent Danish troops from getting the tools they need to do what the Socialists say they are in favour of them doing). The few Leopard II's actually sent have now seen combat supporting Danish and British troops in Helmand province. On January 5th three tanks along with a unit from the Danish mechanized infantry group engaged Taliban forces from the east side of the Helmand river. According to Christian Reinhold, press officer at HOK, once the tanks began firing across the river,the Taliban then attempted to out flank them, no doubt to bring their RPG's to bear. Losing a Danish tank at this early stage, or any other, would be a serious propaganda coup for the Taliban, and also for the told-you-so Socialists back here in Denmark (and I wonder which of them would be the happier).

The Taliban failed. The Danish tanks were placed in such a position that they had both the high ground and plenty of space to move. They were easily able to defend themselves. Helmand is now said to be quiet as the cold weather has settled in.