Danish Home Guard
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Danish Home Guard Hjemmeværnet |
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Logo of "Hjemmeværnet"
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| Founded | 1 April 1949 |
| Country |
 Kingdom of Denmark
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| Allegiance |
 Denmark Greenland Faroe Islands
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| Size | In 2016 the active forces consisted approximately 15.600 volunteer soldiers. The remaining some 30.000 volunteers are part of the Home Guard Reserve. 550 are employees. |
| Part of | Home Guard Command |
| Stable belt |  |
| Commanders | |
| The Commanding General of The Home Guard | Major General Finn Winkler |
| Ceremonial chief | MP Bjarne Laustsen (Soc. Dem.) |
The Danish Home Guard (Danish: Hjemmeværnet) (HJV) is the fourth service of the Danish military, it was formerly concerned only with the defence of Danish territory, but since 2008, it has also supported the Danish military efforts in Afghanistan and Kosovo. Service is voluntary and unpaid, though members' loss of income from time taken off work, transport expenses and other basic expenses are compensated. However, workshop and depot staff plus clerks and senior officers are all paid. The unarmed Women's Army Corps (Lottekorpset) was merged in 1989 with the then all-male Home Guard to form the present, armed unisex Home Guard.
Its top authority is the Commanding General (HJK), which, unlike the Army Staff, the Naval Staff and the Air Staff, is managed directly by the Danish Ministry of Defence (FMN). Only in times of tension and war will the Danish Defence Command (VFK) assume command over the Home Guard.
The Danish Home Guard is jointly headed by Major General Finn Winkler (since May 2010) and a political leader (The Commissioner) who is usually a member of the Danish Parliament. On November 1, 2013 MP Bjarne Laustsen (Social Democrats) became the political leader.
As of 2017, the Danish Home Guard consists of approximately 45,600 members, of whom approximately 15.600 are active. It is divided into three branches:
The Army Home Guard (Hærhjemmeværnet) is numerically the largest part of the Home Guard, and works closely with the regular army, police and the civil disaster management authorities.
Denmark is divided into two Regional commands, east and west, commanded by full-service colonels, and subdivided into 12 Army Home Guard Districts commanded by full-service officers.
Every municipality has at least one "army home guard company" commanded by a volunteer captain.
The Police Home Guard (Politihjemmeværnet) is a branch within the Army Home Guard and consists of 47 Police Home Guard companies, commanded by volunteer captains, often with a professional police career. The volunteers are, during operational service; give the authority to act on behalf of the police with a limited legal authority. Their tasks are among others traffic control at festivals, searches for victims and guarding community installations. In peacetime they are never used where there are risks of direct confrontation with civilians (riot control or planned arrests).
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Wikipedia