From 31 January to 27 February, the Danish Armed Forces will make an aircraft contribution to the surveillance of Europe's external borders.

The contribution consists of a Challenger aircraft with crew and a liaison officer. The tasks of aircraft and crew include monitoring the Mediterranean for illegal migrants, smugglers and other illegal activities and, if necessary, participating in search and rescue operations.

The Challenger contribution is based in Crete.

Patrol boat contribution

From 1 June 2019, the Armed Forces will contribute two patrol boats to the surveillance of Europe's external borders. The boats patrol in the waters between the Greek island of Kos and Turkey. The Greeks want help in controlling the borders at sea to prevent, among other things, human trafficking and cross-border crime.

The contribution consists of two patrol boats and two crews with soldiers from the Armed Forces and police officers. The contribution also consists of a support team to maintain the patrol boats and coordinate the deployment with Frontex and the Greek authorities. Registration of migrants The Armed Forces has continuously deployed a number of staff assisting local authorities in Italy, Spain and Greece to take fingerprints on migrants. It varies where the employees are posted.

Previous contributions

Since 2015, Denmark has made a number of different contributions to Frontex. The Air Force has several times contributed with Challenger aircafts patrolling across the Mediterranean. The Home Guard has also patrolled the Mediterranean. Denmark has on several occasions also contributed vehicles with thermal observation equipment that have monitored the coast of Greek islands.

In 2019 and at the beginning of 2020, the Danish Armed Forces has made off-road vehicles with advanced surveillance equipment available to Frontex. Vehicles and crews have been involved in monitoring the coast of Greek islands to detect refugees and migrants.

Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Ministry of Defence