Danes queuing up for military service

Denmark has a military service draft, but evidently they don't really need it. Young Danes volunteering for military service now have to wait 6 to 18 months to report for boot camp.

If news of soldiers deaths in Afghanistan has turned some of the public against Danish military activities abroad, it certainly hasn't affected the country's young people, who are lining up to enlist in the armed forces, reported MetroXpress newspaper.

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'It's a new look since we've cut the [training] period down from six to four months,' said [head of recruiting Alan] Damm. 'Now we get a lot of young people thinking they'll try it out and if they don't like it, well, then it was only four months.'

Currently, new recruits have to wait until the beginning of 2009 before they can enter the Army's boot camp, while trainees entering the Air Force cannot get their chance until the end of next year.

Mr. Damm adds that the Danish Defense Department has also done much to get more women in the military. My guess is that if our services had more Scandinavian women, we'd have similar waiting lists.