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Given little consideration within the worldwide press, an fascinating story in Denmark led to a consequential cupboard reshuffle in August, together with the firing of the everlasting secretary of state of the Ministry of Defence. It is a results of a controversial arms cope with Israeli defence contractor, Elbit Methods, to interchange the Danish military’s artillery, the vast majority of which has been despatched to Ukraine. Let’s check out what’s happening.
In March, the Israeli arms firm, Elbit Methods, introduced a cope with the Danish Ministry of Defence for a battalion of ATMOS artillery programs bought to interchange Denmark’s fleet of 18 Ukraine-bound CAESAR self-propelled howitzers. The deal, value $252 million (DKK 1.7 billion), was introduced after over a month of negotiations. In response to a Danish authorities press launch, the choice to show to the Israeli system to arm a Danish Military artillery battalion was primarily based on the Israeli producer’s extra aggressive monetary phrases and supply schedule, within the face of provides from its European opponents, France’s Nexter with the Caesar 8×8, and Sweden’s Bofors with the Archer.
It will seem, nonetheless, that different elements have been at play on this choice. Danish publication Altinget has been operating an investigation into the deal, which has as of but garnered little consideration within the worldwide press. It has been asking some severe questions on why the Danish authorities was so hasty in its choice to award the contract to such a problematic defence agency. It seems that the choice was made primarily based on inaccurate data.
A chronological take a look at the affair
The method was described as “fully grotesque” and “hopeless” by the Danish opposition.”That is the form of rushed case processing that’s fully unacceptable,” mentioned the Conservative Get together’s finance spokesman, Rasmus Jarlov. It began again on Jan. 19, 2023, when the SVM authorities knowledgeable the International Coverage Committee that Denmark would donate the Danish Military’s fleet of latest French-produced CAESAR artillery programs to Ukraine.
The Danish Military at all times maintained that it wanted the artillery programs itself, and so the Danish Defence Materiel and Procurement Company (Forsvarsministeriets Materiel- og Indkøbsstyrelse – FMI) was requested to conduct a market survey into what might be bought as a substitute and the way rapidly it might be delivered.
Dec. 22, 2022
The Danish Defence Materiel and Procurement Company receives a draft settlement settlement from the Israeli arms producer Elbit Methods, which has filed a lawsuit in opposition to the Danish state. In response to Elbit Methods, the settlement is the results of a negotiation between the Israeli CEO and FMI’s deputy director.
Jan. 23, 2023
FMI Director Lieutenant Common Kim Jesper Jørgensen travels to Israel. Amongst different issues, he visits Elbit Methods. It ought to be famous that the Elbit artillery system was being thought of by the Danish Ministry of Defence again in 2015, however the transfer was blocked within the Folketing (the Danish Parliament) following large opposition from the Radikale Venstre and SF events.
Jan. 25, 2023
Minister of Defence Jakob Ellemann-Jensen convenes the events behind the present defence settlement for a gathering on the Ministry of Defence in Copenhagen. All events within the Danish Parliament apart from Enhedslisten and Alternativet take part. The assembly lasts a complete of 35 minutes.
Throughout this session, the federal government proposes the acquisition of Elbit’s ATMOS artillery system and PULS rocket launcher system at a complete value of DKK 1.7 billion. It was additionally acknowledged that the primary ATMOS programs may be delivered in a yr, and PULS may be delivered as early as this yr, that means that the Danish Military would solely be with out artillery for a couple of months.
Despite proposals from Nexter and Korean agency Hanwha, it was Elbit’s ATMOS system that receives the clear suggestion of Deputy Chief of Defence, Kenneth Pedersen. His suggestion and the prospect of a fast supply imply that the politicians selected to comply with the advice to obtain the Israeli ATMOS artillery system. On the identical time, they nod in favour of the federal government’s plan to obtain the PULS rocket launcher system.
Jan. 26, 2023
The Danish Finance Committee receives a doc, obtained by Altinget, that outlined the urgency of the deal. “The paperwork are pressing, because the contract with the provider should be signed as quickly as attainable and earlier than the top of January to make sure the validity of the supply, manufacturing prospects and a speedy rebuilding of the operational capability,” it learn.
That very same day, the Finance Committee approves the acquisition of artillery value greater than DKK 1.7 billion from Elbit Methods, to the dismay of some committee members, who got little or no warning. “As a result of I hadn’t been on my telephone for 3 or 4 hours, I used to be accused of getting voted in favour of one thing within the Finance Committee that I hadn’t learn. It was fully hopeless and unacceptable,” mentioned Rasmus Jarlov. “It was a very grotesque course of. We got precisely two hours from the time we obtained the confidential paperwork till the assembly was to be held,” mentioned Pelle Dragsted, finance spokesperson for the Pink-Inexperienced Alliance (Enhedslisten), who didn’t vote in favour of the procurement. “This meant that there was no alternative in any respect to completely familiarise ourselves with the case.” If members didn’t have time to reply, their silence was thought of to be a vote in favour. This has prompted some severe political outrage. “It reeks of the truth that they knew it was a foul deal. And that’s why it needed to undergo rapidly,” added Dragsted.
Feb. 6, 2023
Jakob Ellemann-Jensen goes on sick go away as a consequence of stress. Troels Lund Poulsen (V) takes over as performing Minister of Defence.
Could 26, 2023
By entry to paperwork, Altinget reveals that Jakob Ellemann-Jensen has supplied false data so as to rush via the billion-dollar buy of the Israeli artillery in January. Though the supply from Elbit Methods truly had a deadline on the finish of June, the rapporteurs have been informed that the supply needed to be authorized by the top of January on the newest.
Could 30, 2023
Troels Lund Poulsen, Deputy Minister of Defence, declares that he has requested for an account of the method.
Repercussions
This summer time, the investigation by Altinget led to political change. Jakob Ellemann-Jensen can be chief of the Liberal Get together which, though in governing coalition with Mette Frederiksen’s Social Democratic Get together, was largely weakened in the course of the elections in November 2022, when it misplaced nearly half of its seats to the center-right Reasonable Get together created in June 2022 by former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, now Minister of International Affairs. Ellemann-Jensen‘s place has come underneath fireplace after Altinget prompt on Could 26 that he had knowingly supplied false data on the Elbit deal.
In June, Altinget additionally reported that each Korean agency Hanwha and French agency Nexter had denied having obtained a request from Denmark to submit a young for the speedy supply of artillery. A number of spokespersons say that they’d not have authorized the artillery buy from Elbit if they’d identified that no provides had been obtained from different suppliers.
Returning in early August, Ellemann-Jensen ordered a brand new and impartial investigation into the matter, following the publication of a report that seems to exonerate him from any information that he had mislead the Folketing, as an alternative inserting the blame on a misunderstanding between the FMI and the Ministry of Defence. In response to the Ministry of Defence’s Everlasting Secretary Morten Bæok, FMI has apologised to the ministry that the company “was not exact within the wording concerning the validity of the tenders”.
However Altinget then uncovered a memo disproving Bæok’s assertion, and he was consequently fired by Ellemann-Jensen: “The report on inaccurate data contained inaccurate data,” the minister mentioned. Two weeks later, Ellemann-Jensen would go away his publish, being changed by Poulsen, and take up the function of Minister of the Economic system. “There are actually many unanswered questions on this case. I do know there’s a number of confusion on the market – it’s the identical right here…The defence wants a minister who’s 100% targeted on the duty at hand. And it’s massive,” he mentioned in an announcement.
A tarnished popularity?
Such political strife and ethical clumsiness shouldn’t be one thing we’ve got come to anticipate from such a socially liberal nation as Denmark. There will need to have been information concerning the doubtful dealings with Elbit earlier than Altinget’s investigation that exposed all of the information, however its political volatility led, it could appear, to sure events making an attempt to maintain it underneath wraps, to the dismay of those that later learnt the true information of the deal.
Ellemann-Jensen‘s reassignment to Minister of the Economic system highlights the political weight of the affair for the Danish authorities, however he has been considerably protected against extra severe penalties to this point, even when his place inside the ruling coalition has definitely been weakened. The true loser, although, is Denmark itself, whose virtuous picture might be severely tarnished if the impartial enquiry to be launched shortly confirms the suspicions of turpitude and lack of transparency between the nation’s authorities and parliament.
[ATMOS 2000 (Autonomous Truck MOunted howitzer System). Photo by Rowielip, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons]
*Donald Carpenter has labored in main infrastructure applications, in non-public teams and as an advisor to worldwide organisations. He has at all times been all for geopolitics, and enjoys his retirement to share his views on present affairs. The views and opinions expressed on this article are these of the creator.
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