On Thursday, Denmark announced its plan to donate 19 Caesar 155 mm howitzers, made by French defense contractor Nexter, to Ukraine. The move comes in response to a request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, but has sparked debate in Denmark over the impact on the country's own military build-up.
Defence Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen stated, "We must find a balance between helping Ukraine and continuing to strengthen the Danish defence so that we can safeguard Denmark's security and live up to our obligations in NATO."
As part of Denmark's commitment to NATO, the country is tasked with establishing a heavy infantry brigade, known as the 1st Brigade, by 2032. However, the project has faced delays and criticism from the Western defense alliance.
The Caesar howitzers were purchased by Denmark in 2017 to be used by the Royal Danish Army, and were installed on Tatra 815 trucks. While 15 of the systems were delivered in 2021, the remaining 4 were planned to be delivered in 2023. However, all 19 systems will now be transferred to Ukraine.
It's worth noting that Ukraine received 24 Caesar howitzers from France in 2022 as part of military assistance. The Caesar is a self-propelled howitzer that can fire all 39/52 caliber NATO-standard shells, and is equipped with an autonomous weapon network that allows for accurate strikes on targets up to 55 kilometers away.
Source: Reuters
