Danish soldiers were hastily sent to Latvia to intimidate Putin: "Everything is missing – from ammunition to underpants"
The Danish military was sent to Latvia to deter Russia, but they forgot to provide them with everything they needed – from ammunition to underpants, Dr. It is unlikely that soldiers like to run through the woods with unloaded weapons and shout "bang-bang".
In early May, Denmark hastily sent 350 soldiers to Latvia. The task is set very clearly: to restrain Putin. And if the Russian president does attack, Danish soldiers will help protect the country.
However, today the soldiers in the Danish camp warn that their level of combat training leaves much to be desired.
So, they missed important training sessions because they didn't bring ammunition in time. The command confirms that a number of exercises had to be canceled due to lack of ammunition.
But in the end it's a matter of life and death, emphasizes 41-year-old Senior Constable Dennis, a representative of the battalion in Latvia.
"As a result, the level of training falls. If Putin decides to cross the border, then no one will be 100% ready," says Dennis. He asked not to give his last name for security reasons.
His disappointment about the lack of ammunition is shared by other officers, with whom the correspondent of the Danish Radio managed to talk.
"It could cost me and others my life if Putin decides to cross the border," Dennis believes.
He has served in the Danish armed forces for 20 years and has been to Helmand province in Afghanistan twice. "I have lost fellow soldiers and seen how people suffer. So I know exactly what I'm talking about."
The Danish camp lacks not only ammunition. Battered tents with mold were waiting for the soldiers. The most basic uniforms are also missing.
"Everything is missing – from ammunition to underpants, to say the least. This is the saddest assignment of my entire service. And I've seen everything in 20 years," Dennis complains.
– You soldiers just love to shoot, and you will never please, won't you?
– We really need to shoot. And yes, we constables and corporals are hard to please. But we don't demand anything over the limit. When we were in Afghanistan, we had excellent training. The Danish soldiers were on a par with the rest. Now – hardly. We were forbidden to shoot at all. In general, the level of our training has dropped a lot.
750 Danes who will stop Putin
March 31: NATO asks Denmark to send a battalion to Latvia to ensure the security of the alliance's eastern flank, deter and, if necessary, repel Russian military aggression.
April 21: the parliamentary majority, except for the Red-Green Coalition and the "Free Greens", approves the Danish contribution to the security of the Baltic States.
April 24: cars, armored personnel carriers, ammunition and other equipment are sent to Latvia in case of an attack.
May 2: 350 soldiers, mostly from the Gardehus regiment in Slagels, arrive in Latvia. In total, the Danish contingent in the area of the Adazi military base has almost 750 soldiers.
Due to the lack of ammunition, soldiers have to show ingenuity and ingenuity. They take already shot tapes and use them for the second time for training with light machine guns.
According to Dennis, it takes time – it takes several hours.
In Denmark, Colonel Jens Lønborg admits that the contingent did not receive enough ammunition.
"Alas, I agree that there was not enough ammunition for training from the very beginning. She simply did not arrive at her destination," says Jens Lenborg, head of the operational department of the Danish command.
– Why did this happen?
– This is a problem with logistics that has not been solved in time. The cartridges should be there, but they didn't come, it's some kind of mistake.
The colonel emphasizes that the battalion received live ammunition from the very beginning in case of a Russian attack. He assures that both ammunition and ammunition – both blank and combat - are already available for training on the spot.
– This week only a part came, and as far as I heard from the suppliers, everything will be in place by next week.
– How could this happen?
– There is no explanation for this. It shouldn't be like this.
"Ammunition is not just cargo. We have to get the necessary permissions. You can't just say, 'Well, we don't have enough ammunition there, let's take it and send it,'" says Jens Lenborg.
The colonel says he understands soldiers when they complain that they are losing their qualifications. But at the same time, he does not admit that the level of training could fall to a critical level.
– You can train other disciplines, even if there are no bullets. Just because you've fired fewer rounds doesn't mean you've lost your training. Let's say some of the shooting was canceled. But there are classes on the parade ground, as well as technical and training.
As for other problems and mold in the tents, the colonel assures that the equipment will be delivered on an ongoing basis, and a new camp will be created in the coming months.
– Otherwise it is impossible. The current camp is too worn out. But this is the best thing that happened.
Dennis from the Danish camp Niflheim in Latvia has no doubt that his commanders are doing everything possible to establish supplies.
"Of course, some things are being delivered to us, but not as fast as we would like. Almost all calibers are missing, both blanks and combat," says Dennis. He believes that this is a typical problem for the armed forces as such: "It barely drips like from a tap."
The command rejects the general shortage of ammunition. At the same time, Colonel Jens Lenborg admits that the reserves for a possible war leave much to be desired.
"There are undoubtedly shortcomings – and there is still something to work on," he says.
Criticism from Latvia fits into the overall picture of the Danish armed forces after years of austerity, says Alexander Høgsberg Tetzlaff, an analyst at the Center for Military Studies at the University of Copenhagen.
Soldiers get very upset when they lack the necessary ammunition and equipment. And when they are sent on a mission, and it turns out that the problem has not been solved, their cup of patience may overflow, says Hegsberg Tetzlaff.
He is a major in the army and served in Afghanistan.
Although the command explains the shortage of ammunition in Latvia as a logistical mistake, the soldiers may decide that this is a natural result of the systematic deterioration of the situation in the troops, the analyst stressed.
He calls the lack of supplies in case of war "a huge gap."
"In order to save money, the armed forces are closing warehouses. Storage is expensive by itself, plus unforeseen expenses arise. But if anything, everything will come in handy," he says.
Over the past 30 years, the so-called emergency stocks have been rationalized more than once. At the same time, NATO has already criticized Denmark twice for empty ammunition depots: in 2018 and the last time in 2020.
Last year, the problem worsened: the Spanish company Expal, a permanent supplier of ammunition, unexpectedly withdrew from a seven-year agreement.
The command had to set priorities in a new way and decide who should conduct daily practice shooting and who should not.
With the beginning of the Russian special operation in Ukraine, the demand for ammunition has increased dramatically – and with it the price has jumped.
To temporarily patch up the hole, Denmark has purchased a number of small and expensive batches. But the armed forces still have no reserves in case of war.
Therefore, the military is calling for politicians in Christiansborg (the palace in Copenhagen, where the Danish Parliament sits, – Approx. transl.) allocate funds and increase ammunition stocks.
Meanwhile, hundreds of cars and other equipment have already been sent to Latvia from barracks across the country, and this puts pressure on the military, emphasizes Alexander Hegsberg Tetzlaff. He believes that this threatens to become a challenge for the second line of soldiers who will go to Latvia this fall.
– How to ensure optimal training when there is not even enough equipment and weapons for shooting? There is a risk that they will have to go to Latvia for training, where the equipment will be. The situation, of course, is hopeless.
In the long run, these shortcomings will further complicate military recruitment, the analyst warns.
– It's not fun for soldiers to run through the woods and say "bang-bang" instead of shots. And instead of armored personnel carriers, drive ordinary cars.
The contingent in Latvia is the largest Danish military mission in Europe over the past 23 years. Presumably it will last until the end of the year.
Authors: Rikke Gjøl Mansø, Rasmus Bøttcher Christensen