Denmark’s Home Guard (Hjemmeværnet) had a record year in 2025, with 2,314 people signing up as volunteer soldiers — a 43% increase on the 1,613 who joined in 2024. It marks the largest rise in the organisation’s total strength since 1983.
The growth comes against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and wider international unrest. New recruits point to the changed security situation as their reason for joining, while leadership notes that the Home Guard has shifted from supporting the armed forces to becoming a deeply integrated part of Denmark’s total defence.
So…:
How can you give people a way to contribute and belong when the world feels uncertain?
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Picture: Hjemmevaernet (press)