The army, good in times of crisis

Jyllands-Postenreports that "obligatory military service will soon be a thing of the past." The number of young Danes who have opted to volunteer this year has been more than sufficient to fulfil the Danish army's annual quota of 6,500 new recruits. As it stands, the army holds an annual lottery to select 6,500 18-year-old men for an obligatory stint in uniform. However, the daily explains that the number of voluntary recruits has risen to record levels since the duration of military service was reduced from nine months to four months in 2005. The senior officer responsible for military recruitment, Bo E. Engelbreth, believes that many of the volunteers have been attracted by the strong media presence of the war in Afghanistan and NATO's anti-piracy campaign led by Denmark's Absalon command ship off the coast of Somalia. The economic crisis is also an important factor.