Introduction to Copenhagen, Denmark - 3-4 March

Yesterday morning we broke into three separate groups to begin our visits to multiple European cities. Myself, Colleen, Tony, and Monesha travelled to Copenhagen, with other groups going to Amsterdam and Hamburg.

Upon arrival were greeted with beautiful crisp and clear conditions. It has been an uncharateristically cold and snowy winter in Denmark, so we were fortunate to have some sun.

After checking into the beautiful Admiral Hotel, we squeezed in a quick walking tour of the city before meeting our wonderful city host, Christina Treschow. Later that evening we met MMF Fellows Michael Helboe (Press Secretary to the Danish Prime Minister), Casper Klynge (Deputy Head Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs), and Johannes Langkilde (Danish television news anchor) and friends for a nice welcome dinner.

A warm welcome to Denmark

Copenhagen is a very open, friendly, and beautiful city. One thing that is striking is the amount of bicyclists (more than cars). The city layout is specifically designed to encourage cycling, and the high taxes on cars and fuel certainly help provide some incentive to commute via pedal power. Literally all ages, shapes, and sizes are commuting on bikes, regardless of weather.

The Danish Royal Palace.


Inside the Admiral Hotel, a renovated 18th century warehouse.


Typical scene in Copenhagen - the whole family bikes together, regardless of weather.


"Parking garages" for bikes.


Like the U. S. Coast Guard, the Dane's once operated light ships


View of the city from the 18th century Citadel





The city has lots of impressive modern architecture. Agriculture used to be Denmark's #1 export. These grain silos have since been converted to apartments.


More former grain silos

Today was a full day of briefings, discussions, and "operations." We started out with a brisk walk across the city to the Parliament and Prime Minister's Office. Michael Helboe gave us a great tour of the Prime Minister's Office (actually housed in a building originally constructed to be Royal family living quarters), and a briefing on lessons-learned from the Copenhagen climate summit. We discussed the significant political barriers in Europe, Asia, and the United States to near-term progess on a climate change agreement.

Tour of the Prime Minister's office with Press Secretary Michael Helboe, also an MMF Fellow.


Danish Prime Minister's personal office.


Sitting down in the Prime Minister's Conference Room for a briefing on the Copenhagen climate talks.


The Dane's have a unique perspective on climate change, as they have some of the strictest environmental regulations in the world. Additionally, Denmark made some very tough decisions during the energy crisis of the 1970s that are paying huge dividends today. Their early investment in renewable energy (e.g., wind turbines) has created jobs and greatly increased their energy independence. Wind energy now accounts for approximately 25% of Denmark's energy capacity, the highest in the world. Morever, Denmark is now the world's number one exporter of wind turbines.

Wind turbines everywhere on the sea!


Inside the Danish Foreign Ministry - modern design within a beautiful and historic structure.

After a working lunch at the Foreign Ministry, we boarded a Danish Special Forces (Frogmen Corps) small boat (8 meter RHIB) for a familiarization ride and a tour of the harbor. Despite a population of less than 5 million, Denmark has a rich and proud seafaring history. We were all impressed with the professionalism and expertise of their Special Forces personnel, and got a first hand look at the difficult North/Baltic Sea conditions in which they operate.

Getting ready

Upon our return, the Commanding Officer of the Frogmen Corps (Mognes Christensen) gave us a superb briefing on Danish Special Forces operations and their evolving strategic role. The Frogmen Corps are roughly equivalent to our Navy Seals. The Dane's deploy their Frogmen Corps onboard larger naval platforms in "Specialized Maritime Task Elements" that bring multiple disciplines to a particular mission. This model is consistent with the ongoing transition of NATO forces from a static/conventional defensive posture to a highly deployable force capable of "Out of Area" operations.

We finished up the day with a panel discussion on Danish Foreign and Defense policy with current and former leaders in the Danish Ministry of Defense. This discussion quickly expanded into a broader strategic discussion of current European/NATO challenges, including the tough decisions ahead regarding future investment in defense capability and capacity.

The Dane's stated they "punch above their weight" with respect to defense, a phrase we often use to describe Coast Guard capability and capacity relative to the other Armed Services. Of note, the Coast Guard's ~50,000 personnel and $10+ billion budget is well over twice the size of all Danish defense forces. To the Dane's, the Coast Guard is a huge Service. I explained that the Coast Guard is very small relative to DoD forces, and that we understood the challenges of limited resources and operational capacity. Like other countries in Europe, the Dane's are trying to determine the right mix of future capability and capacity that is affordable and sustainable.

We also discussed the current Danish role in several overseas deployments, including Special Forces anti-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa, and combat in Afghanistan. The Danes have lost over 30 troops in Afghanistan, the highest per capita of any Nation operating in the International force (including the United States). Support at home for these operations remains high, and it was clear that Denmark is one of America's strongest allies in these areas.

Some photos from our ride with the Danish Special Forces (Frogmen Corps):








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