Latest news with #DanishNavy
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Denmark to invest around $615 million to renew Navy, Home Guard fleets
PARIS — Denmark will invest about 4 billion Danish kroner (US$615 million) through 2033 in the country's Navy and Home Guard fleets, aiming to improve surveillance and defense of the country's home waters, the government said. The plans include the acquisition of four multifunctional environmental-protection and minelaying vessels, a ship with drones and sonar systems to monitor underwater activity, as well as 21 new vessels for the Naval Home Guard, Defense Minister Troels Lund Poelsen said at a press conference in Copenhagen on Tuesday. The plan was backed by the three-party coalition government and six of the eight other parties in parliament. The parties also agreed on long-term investments in additional capabilities, including air-defense frigates, as well as a decision later this year to buy more Arctic vessels, with details still to be determined. The tasks of the four environmental and minelaying vessels will include surveillance as well as clean-up of chemical and oil spills. Denmark will additionally boost the Navy's ability to monitor both above and under water with a program to develop autonomous units such as underwater drones, according to Lund Poelsen. The government had sketched the outlines of its long-term fleet plan in March, with Lund Poelsen saying the Danish frigate fleet still had a decade in it, with the new naval plan preparing the future acquisition of the next generation of vessels. While the Navy's current frigates still have 'good years' left, new investments have to be made, and due diligence calls for agreement on a new fleet plan before the decision to buy new frigates, Lund Poelsen said. He said those decisions will be made when NATO's capability goals are finalized in June. Lund Poelsen said 'it's no secret' that the next round of naval investment will involve 'a very large number of billions,' without providing details. The Danish government in February agreed to allocate an additional 50 billion kroner to defense over the coming two years, boosting defense spending to more than 3% of GDP in 2025 and 2026. There is a political ambition for the future frigates and the Arctic vessels to be built in Denmark, though there is no decision on that yet, according to the defense minister. Lund Poelsen said he believes Denmark can do more to cooperate with other NATO countries with regards to participating in their frigate capacity-expansion programs. Denmark currently operates three frigates in the Iver Huitfeldt class, the first of which entered service in 2012. The 139-meter vessels, designed for air defense, displace 6,645 tons and are equipped with a 32-cell Mk 41 vertical missile launcher. The Danish Navy also operates two Absalon-class anti-submarine warfare frigates with a multi-purpose deck, which entered service in 2005. The Danish Navy has been using a modular payload system called Standard Flex since the 1990s, allowing vessels to swap out containerized weapons or systems for different missions or roles. The lead vessel in the Iver Huitfeldt class infamously experienced a malfunction of critical weapon and sensor systems on deployment in the Red Sea in 2024, resulting in Lund Poelsen firing Denmark's chief of defense for reportedly failing to disclose the issues aboard the frigate. The Niels Juel, a sister ship of the Iver Huitfeldt, suffered a separate incident while docked in April last year, with the crew unable to deactivate the booster of a Harpoon missile during testing.
Forbes
08-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
When Fashion Meets Geopolitics: Copenhagen International Fashion Fair And The Enduring Influence Of Danish Culture
ILULISSAT, GREENLAND - MARCH 08: Ice covers the water in the harbor on March 08, 2025, in Ilulissat, Greenland. The self-ruling Danish territory and world's largest island has been thrust into the geopolitical spotlight as U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to acquire it, citing its strategic value, drawing objections from Danish and Greenlandic leaders. In his State of the Union address, Trump said the US needed Greenland for national security and would "get it one way or the other," but added that he supported Greenlanders' right to determine their own future. The territory holds its general election on March 11. (Photo by) President Donald Trump made a geopolitical proposition that left the world both amused and shocked: he wants to buy Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. The idea —unsolicited, swiftly declined, and widely mocked—sparked a wave of headlines, memes, and existential questions: What value do we assign to land, people, and heritage? While 'the absurd offer' is making its political pundits cycle, the conversation it ignited reveals just how strategically important Denmark has become in global affairs, as well as the global culture. Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (C) gestures aboard the Danish Navy inspection vessel Vaedderen together with Greenland's acting head of government and newly elected head of government in the waters around Nuuk, Greenland, on April 3, 2025. Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen visits Greenland in a show of unity with the autonomous Danish territory which US President Donald Trump has vowed to take over. (Photo by Mads Claus Rasmussen / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP) / Denmark OUT (Photo by MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images) From climate leadership and architectural innovation to culinary revolutions and cinematic exports, Danish values are increasingly resonating worldwide. In fashion, Denmark is not just keeping up—it's leading. In recent years, Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) has emerged as a beacon of sustainability in the global fashion ecosystem. Chief executive of Copenhagen Fashion Week Danish Cecilie Thorsmark poses upon arrival for The BoF 500 Gala at the Shangri-La Hotel in Paris, on the sidelines of the Paris Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2025, on September 28, 2024. (Photo by GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP) (Photo by GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP via Getty Images) In 2020, CPHFW introduced its Sustainability Requirements framework, a rigorous set of environmental and ethical standards that brands must meet to participate in its official calendar. The framework—updated in 2024—covers everything from responsible material sourcing (requiring at least 60% certified or preferred materials) to working conditions, show production, consumer engagement, and waste management. Gone are the days of virgin fur, wild animal skins, and single-use plastics; this is fashion redesigned with intention. COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - JANUARY 29: A model walks the runway at the Herskind show during Copenhagen Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2025 on January 29, 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Photo by) Copenhagen's sustainability ethos are catching on. In a bold move this year, the British Fashion Council (BFC) announced it would adopt the CPHFW framework across its BFC NewGen initiative, beginning with a pilot phase in 2024/25 and culminating in full implementation by January 2026. "We are thrilled to align with the Copenhagen Fashion Week Sustainability Requirements,' said Caroline Rush, CEO of the BFC. 'Together, we are creating a framework that empowers emerging designer fashion businesses to lead the way and contribute tangibly to a more sustainable and responsible industry.' Amsterdam Fashion Week (AFW) also joined forces with CPHFW earlier this year to implement the same sustainability requirements across its show schedule, launching with a pilot involving approximately 30 brands. The collaboration signifies a growing continental consensus: 'sustainability is no longer optional; it is the foundation of fashion's future.' As CPHFW's CEO Cecilie Thorsmark put it: 'These partnerships are essential for the necessary alignment within the industry and underscore the unique role fashion plays in driving positive change.' CIFF is a major bi-annual destination for the international fashion industry. O And it also sets the stage for Copenhagen's other major fashion player to make its own geopolitical statement, enter the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (CIFF), the leading fashion trade event in Scandinavia and one of Europe's most dynamic platforms for global fashion and design. The recently concluded CIFF 64, held earlier this year, wasn't just a regional showcase but more of a cultural summit, where American and Danish creative identities met not in the negotiation rooms, but on the runway, in showrooms, and across fashion and design installations that challenged what fashion diplomacy could look like. Where NATO organizes around security and diplomacy, CIFF rallies around creativity and commerce. Both, in their own ways, are about coalitions of values. A prime example of the creative coalition was the presence of NEUDEUTSCH, the expansive exhibition project curated by Julian Daynov, which took over more than 1,000 square meters of the CIFF 64 venue. Presenting over 30 emerging German brands—including Aesthevore, Black Palms, Lutz Morris, NThirtyThree, VETSAK, and Royal Fern— breaking with the stereotype of german design as merely functional and stoic, revealing a thriving ecosystem of emerging German designers and brands. Through a hybrid concept of showroom and installation, NEUDEUTSCH reimagined how German design could be perceived globally, sparking a renewed cross-cultural dialogue, cementing CIFF's role as a connector between Europe's creative capitals. Julian Daynov, founder of NEUDEUTSCH collective, a showcase of emerging and established German brands, and Sofie Dolva, Director of the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair. Trump's obsession with the world's largest island brought global attention to the nuanced relationship between Denmark and its semi-autonomous Arctic territory. While the idea of 'getting' Greenland may have seemed like a geopolitical outlier, it also inadvertently spotlighted Denmark's far-reaching influence—something Copenhagen has been steadily cultivating through culture and commerce. Today, that influence attracts, season after season, some of the most significant gathering of fashion industry insiders in Northern Europe, and despite overlapping with Paris Fashion Week and dense international fashion calendar, CIFF didn't just hold its ground—it expanded it, with a 72% spike in attendance on the final day compared to the previous edition, while experiencing a 1.5% increase in unique visitors and a 3% growth in total visits. Visitors hailed from across Europe and beyond: the Nordics led the way (58.6%), followed by the DACH region (17.45%), Benelux, Southern Europe, the UK, and a growing slice of North American attendees (1.21%)—a number that, while small, reflects an evolving interest from U.S. buyers and brands in the Nordic fashion ecosystem. The Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (CIFF) and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) held the second edition of a New York Fashion Week showroom in February 2025. That interest isn't one-sided, however, as Sofie Dolva, director of CIFF, wants to foster a deeper connection between American and Scandinavian design. That vision came to life in February 2025 during the New York Fashion Week. CIFF and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) presented the second edition of the CIFF x CFDA Showroom at Plus Plus Showroom on Water Street. Twelve brands were selected for the showcase—10 from Scandinavia and 2 from the U.S.—each chosen for their commitment to sustainability, craftsmanship, and future-facing design principles. Labels such as Adnym, DAWNxDARE, CDLP, Herskind, Jacques Agbobly, Molebo, Monies, PRIVATE POLICY, Résumé, Samsøe Samsøe, Skandinavisk, and Neuw Denim created an atmosphere that fused Nordic restraint with American edge. The project didn't just serve as a commercial platform—it deepened the creative ties between the two countries at a time when cultural exchange feels more valuable than ever. In this surprising setting, fashion functioned as more than commodity; it became a conversation—one about shared challenges, new aesthetics, and the emerging political debate shaping tomorrow's trade between two countries. As the geopolitical center of gravity tilts, and tensions reshape old alliances, Copenhagen's role as a cultural broker has never been more closely watched. Denmarks Queen Mary and King Frederik X arrives at The Royal Couple's New Year's Reception for accredited Diplomats to Denmark at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen on January 6, 2025. (Photo by Emil Nicolai Helms / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP) / Denmark OUT (Photo by EMIL NICOLAI HELMS/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images) The Danish capital has long punched above its weight in the global cultural arena. It is a city where minimalist design is not just a trend but a philosophy—visible from the clean lines of its architecture to the curated beauty of its streetwear. Home to global design icons like Georg Jensen and Bang & Olufsen, Copenhagen has evolved into a hub for creative sustainability and progressive design ideals. What makes CIFF uniquely compelling is its cultural resonance in a time when authenticity is the currency of influence, Danish fashion—quietly confident, ethically driven, and deeply rooted in its geography—offers an alternative to fast fashion's chaotic churn. And through CIFF, as well as CPHFW, that ethos is being exported globally. The lettering "You are on native land" is seen on the hat of Mute Bourup Egede from Inuit Ataqatigiit in front of Godthaabshallen, where voting takes place in connection with the elections for the Greenlandic municipal councils, village councils, and parish representations in Nuuk, Greenland, on April 1, 2025. (Photo by Mads Claus Rasmussen / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP) / Denmark OUT (Photo by MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images) The inclusion of Greenland in this narrative may not be literal—but its symbolic presence lingers. Greenland represents the raw, untouched future; a frontier being reimagined not just by American military strategists, but by artists, designers, and cultural thinkers. As Denmark continues to explore what it means to steward that territory under the increasing pressure from POTUS, Greenland's indigenous heritage, ecological riches, and geopolitical relevance may well inspire a new shift in Scandinavian fashion. Candidate for the Greenlandic centre party IA, Nivi Rosing (C) dances with party members after the polls closed in Nuuk on March 11, 2025. On March 11 Greenland voted in legislative elections that could yield a timeline for independence for the Danish self-governing territory coveted by US President Donald Trump. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP) (Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images) In a world defined by border tensions and ideological divides, CIFF offers a space where creativity, values, and innovation transcend nationality and conflict. Case in point, over the last few years, designers from Ukraine, Georgia, and Latin America found refuge in CIFF fashion halls, keeping their dreams alive, and with them the hopes of their countrymen and women. In this sense, fashion becomes more than fabric—it becomes foreign policy. With CIFF 65 scheduled for August 5–7, 2025, the fair continues to assert its role as a cultural bridge-builder. As the global temperature rises, and the tension around Greenland heats up, as the U.S. reconsiders its role in the Arctic, CIFF and CPHFW stand at the center of a quietly powerful cultural narrative. This time, no one's trying to buy an island. Instead, the world is buying into an idea: that sustainable fashion, at its best, can build bridges where politics falter.
Forbes
06-04-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
What Greenland Wants And Why Trump Can't Afford To Buy It
U.S. President Donald Trump has made it clear what he wants: Greenland. But what does Greenland want? And is Trump willing – and able – to give Greenland's leaders and people what they need to even consider becoming part of the United States? 'We can give the people of Greenland way more money' than 'the 60,000 dollars per year per person' they get from the Danish government, Vice President JD Vance said in an interview on Newsmax on Thursday. But money is not the answer to what Greenland wants. And the more Trump and his team insist that the question of Greenland is about money, the harder they make it for themselves to win the Greenlanders over. The same day JD Vance offered the Greenlanders 'way more money' than the Danish government, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen held a press conference aboard the Danish Navy inspection ship Vaedderen in Nuuk, Greenland. Flanked by Greenland's acting elected head of government Múte Borup Egede on the one side and the newly elected head of government Jens-Frederik Nielsen on the other, Frederiksen spoke directly to the American government in English, saying: 'You cannot annex another country, not even with an argument about international security.' While the Trump team keeps saying that Greenlanders do not want to be part of Denmark, Greenlandic leaders keep standing side by side with Danish leaders, unanimously emphasizing that Trump will not get Greenland. Why is that? Is the Trump team wrong when they say that Greenland wants to be independent of Denmark? No. But they are wrong when they say it has to do with Denmark. Greenland's wish for independence has to do with Greenland. Not Denmark. Not the United States. And not China as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested when he said the Trump administration is 'not going to let China come in now and offer them a bunch of money and become dependent on China.' Unlike the Greenlanders, the question of Greenland is never about Greenland for Trump and his team. Money, yes. America's security, yes. International security, yes, so they say. But Greenland, no. According to AP News, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen 'traveled to the strategically critical Arctic island as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks control of Greenland.' But neither Greenlandic nor Danish leaders think and talk about Greenland as a strategically critical island for the American president to seek control over. Nor do they think and talk about Greenland as JD Vance did when he told Newsmax that Denmark 'of course controls Greenland right now.' For the U.S. government and media, the question of Greenland is about control, specifically whether Denmark or the United States should have control of the island. But for Greenlandic and Danish leaders, it is about Greenland's past, present, and future, specifically what it takes for Greenland to succeed as an independent country. 'We don't want to be Americans. No, we don't want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders. And we want our own independence in the future. And we want to build our own country by ourselves,' said Jens-Frederik Nielsen before he was elected as Greenland's new head of government in March. Greenland subsequently put action behind Nielsen's words by forming a new government consisting of four of the five political parties in Greenland's parliament. Nielsen described the motive for a broad coalition this way: 'This is not the time for political tactics and internal disagreements. The situation for our country is far too serious for that. When someone threatens us, looks down on us or speaks badly of us, we stand together.' In a joint statement, the Greenlandic leaders said, 'We – all party leaders – cannot accept the repeated comments about annexation and control of Greenland.' And when Trump earlier this week said, 'We'll Get Greenland. Yeah, 100%,' Nielsen shared this statement on Facebook (translated from Danish): 'President Trump says that the United States will 'get Greenland'. Let me be clear: The United States will not get Greenland. We do not belong to others. We decide our own future. We must not react with fear. We must react with calm, dignity and unity. And it is through these values that we must clearly, distinctly and calmly show the American president that Greenland is ours. That was the case yesterday. That is the case today. And that is the case in the future.' Not a word about dollars, strategy, security, or control. And not a word about Denmark. Because no matter how much the Trump team would like it to be the case, Greenlanders are not fighting against Denmark. They are fighting for independence. To give the Greenlanders what they want, Trump would have to do the opposite of what he says he wants: instead of gaining control, he would have to give up the idea of ever controlling Greenland. And he can't afford that. As long as the question of Greenland is about money, Trump is in control of both the deal he is trying to cut and the narrative of why Greenland is important for him to 'get.' But the moment the question of Greenland is also about the Greenlanders and what they want for their country, Trump is on thin ice. Trump's mandate is to 'Make America Great Again.' It's to care about American voters, not Greenlandic, Danish, or European. That's why Trump needs to be in control of Greenland: because if he is not, and Greenland is not part of the United States, he cannot afford to spend his time – and American taxpayers' money – on making Greenland part of the 'Golden Age' he has promised Americans. And that's why the Trump team doesn't talk about Greenland's independence, but about Greenland's independence of Denmark: because the question of independence is dangerous for the Trump team. When JD Vance says, 'Yeah, I think they want to be independent from Denmark, and then once they do we can have a conversation about the relationship we will have between the United States and Greenland,' he elegantly omits to get into the independence part. Because if Greenland's wish for independence is actually about independence, American control of Greenland is just as problematic as Danish. And no amount of U.S. dollars will ever change that.
