What does it take to turn a young, untrained Danish conscript into a soldier ready to defend their country?
Conscription – a lottery system that selects citizens at random for military service – has been a part of Denmark’s national defence since 1849. In response to growing security challenges, the country is now including women in the draft, and increasing annual intake numbers to around 7,500 by 2033, while lengthening the standard service period to 11 months.
In this video, we follow conscripts in the Danish Army’s Royal Life Guards as they complete a demanding final field exercise designed to test endurance, discipline and cohesion. Over five days, they face long marches, obstacle courses, freezing conditions and limited food and sleep, pushing them to physical and mental exhaustion before formally joining the regiment.
Investing in trained personnel remains a key part of NATO’s readiness and collective defence. Denmark’s evolving conscription model contributes to strengthening the Alliance by increasing the number of trained individuals able to respond in times of crisis.
This video follows Danish conscripts through their final test, showing what it takes to turn civilians into soldiers and why conscription continues to play a role in modern defence.
---SHOTLIST—
(00:00) SLOW MOTION SHOT (NO SOUND) – DANISH CONSCRIPT STANDING IN THE SNOW
(00:07) MEDIUM SHOT – DANISH CONSCRIPTS RUNNING DURING OBSTACLE COURSE
(00:13) MEDIUM SHOT – DANISH CONSCRIPTS CRAWLING THROUGH THE SNOW
(00:18) VARIOUS SHOTS – DANISH CONSCRIPTS RUNNING DURING OBSTACLE COURSE
(00:25) MEDIUM SHOT – DANISH CONSCRIPTS CRAWLING THROUGH THE SNOW
(00:29) CLOSE-UP SHOT – GUN FIRING
(00:31) VARIOUS SHOTS (NO SOUND) – DANISH CONSCRIPTS CELEBRATING COMPLETING THE OBSTACLE COURSE
(00:56) VARIOUS SHOTS (WITH AND WITHOUT SOUND) – – DANISH CONSCRIPTS MARCHING TO PARADE GROUND
(01:19) VARIOUS SHOTS – DANISH CONSCRIPTS RECEIVING CERTIFICATES
(01:29) VARIOUS SHOTS – DANISH CONSCRIPTS STANDING IN A LINE
(01:40) DRONE SHOTS (NO SOUND) – DANISH CONSCRIPTS MARCHING
(02:00) VARIOUS SHOTS – DANISH ARMED FORCES RECRUITMENT CENTRE WITH POTENTIAL CONSCRIPTS TAKING PART IN EXAMS
(02:19) VARIOUS SHOTS – RED BARREL USED FOR LOTTERY-BASED CONSCRIPTION SYSTEM
(02:28) VARIOUS SHOTS – DANISH CONSCRIPTS TAKING SHELTER FROM THE SNOW IN A HANGAR
(02:47) CLOSE-UP SHOT – DANISH CONSCRIPT’S FOOT WITH BLISTERS FROM MARCHING IN THE SNOW
(02:51) VARIOUS SHOTS – DANISH CONSCRIPTS COOKING BASIC FOOD
(03:08) VARIOUS SHOTS – DANISH CONSCRIPT TALKING WITH A GROUP OF SOLDIERS
(03:14) VARIOUS SHOTS – DANISH CONSCRIPTS PREPARING FOR TRAINING IN THE FOREST
(04:00) WIDE SHOT (NO SOUND) – DANISH CONSCRIPTS STANDING IN LINE IN THE SNOW
(04:03) VARIOUS SHOTS (NO SOUND) – DANISH CONSCRIPTS CONDUCTING TRAINING IN THE SNOW
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