Denmark fires chief of defense, runs into more naval issues

MILAN — The Danish government has fired the chief of defense after he reportedly failed to disclose several malfunctions aboard the frigate Iver Huitfeldt during its deployment to the Red Sea .

“With the challenges we are facing, a new chief of defense is needed,” Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said during a press briefing on April 3, according to local media .

The minister was referring to the emergence of claims, initially made by the Danish news website Olfi, regarding critical weapon and mission systems issues on the frigate, that appear to have been unreported and ignored for a significant period of time.

Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, left, and then-Danish Chief of Defence Flemming Lentfer talk on a plane on Sept. 19, 2023. (Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)

The minister added that with the dismissal of the Flemming Lentfer, Maj. Gen. Michael Wiggers Hyldgaard will take over the role for the time being. The officer currently leads the country’s special operations command.

Lund Poulsen said he was unaware of the ship’s defects until these reports were published.

The frigate was initially scheduled for deployment to the Red Sea as part of the U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian until mid-April. However, Denmark’s Defence Ministry announced March 26 that the ship was already sailing back home.

Among the reported faulty equipment was the ship’s active phased array radar, which is manufactured by Thales Nederland.

“Thales has been informed about FMI’s [the Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation’s] preliminary investigation of available data from Iver Huitfeldt’s systems from the incident in question during a combat situation in the Red Sea,” the defense company said, according to Danish broadcaster DR . “[It] does not indicate a problem related to the APAR radar.”

The head of Denmark's special operations command, Maj. Gen. Michael Wiggers Hyldgaard, stands as the frigate Iver Huitfeldt arrives in Korsør, Denmark, on April 4, 2024. (Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)

Danish defense leaders also have another problem on their hands following an April 4 incident aboard the frigate Niels Juel, a sister ship of the Iver Huitfeldt.

Denmark currently has three Iver Huitfeldt-class and two Absalon-class frigates in service. Each is subject to docking every five years. The area around the Korsør naval base, where the Niels Juel was docked, was closed to air and marine traffic after the ship was unable to deactivate the booster of a Harpoon missile during what the ministry described as a “mandatory test.”

The Danish frigate Niels Juel is docked at the naval base in Korsør, Denmark, on April 4, 2024, as the booster rocket on a Harpoon missile aboard the frigate has been activated during a mandatory test. (Emil Helms/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)

While the warhead was unaffected, officials feared a scenario in which the missile would accidently launch into a target area around 1,000 meters (3,281 feet) above the water level in a southern direction from the frigate’s location.

As of Thursday afternoon, authorities were still investigating the situation.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

米兰——据报道，丹麦政府解雇了国防部长，原因是他在“伊弗·胡特费尔特”号护卫舰部署到红海期间，未能披露舰上发生的几起故障。

据当地媒体报道，国防部长特罗尔斯·伦德·波尔森在4月3日的新闻发布会上表示：“面对我们面临的挑战，我们需要一位新的国防部长。”

这位部长指的是丹麦新闻网站 Olfi 最初提出的有关这艘护卫舰的关键武器和任务系统问题的说法，这些说法似乎在相当长的一段时间内都没有被报道和忽视。

2023年9月19日，丹麦国防大臣特罗尔斯·伦德·波尔森（左）和时任丹麦国防参谋长弗莱明·伦特费尔在飞机上交谈。（图片来源：Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images）

部长补充说，随着弗莱明·伦特弗被解职，迈克尔·维格斯·希尔德加德少将将暂时接任该职务。这位少将目前领导着该国的特种作战司令部。

伦德·波尔森表示，直到这些报道发表后，他才知道这艘船存在缺陷。

这艘护卫舰原计划部署到红海，参与美国领导的“繁荣卫士行动”，直至四月中旬。然而，丹麦国防部于3月26日宣布，该舰已启程返回丹麦。

据报道，出现故障的设备包括该舰的有源相控阵雷达，该雷达由泰雷兹荷兰公司制造。

据丹麦广播公司DR报道，泰雷兹公司表示：“我们已获悉丹麦国防部采购与后勤组织（FMI）对伊弗·休特费尔特号潜艇在红海作战期间系统所获取的事故数据进行的初步调查。调查结果并未显示APAR雷达存在问题。”

2024 年 4 月 4 日，丹麦特种作战司令部司令迈克尔·威格斯·希尔德加德少将站在艾弗·惠特费尔特号护卫舰抵达丹麦科瑟尔时。（Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix/法新社，来自 Getty Images）

丹麦国防领导人还面临着另一个问题，那就是 4 月 4 日在护卫舰“尼尔斯·尤尔”号（伊弗·胡特费尔特号的姊妹舰）上发生的一起事件。

丹麦目前有三艘伊弗·休特费尔特级和两艘阿布萨隆级护卫舰服役。每艘舰艇每五年都要进行一次坞修。尼尔斯·尤尔号护卫舰停靠的科尔瑟海军基地附近海域已被封锁，禁止空中和海上交通。此前，该舰在丹麦国防部所称的“强制性测试”中未能成功解除一枚鱼叉导弹的助推器。

2024年4月4日，丹麦海军护卫舰“尼尔斯·尤尔”号停靠在丹麦科尔瑟海军基地，舰上搭载的“鱼叉”导弹助推火箭正在进行强制性测试并启动。（图片来源：Emil Helms/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images）

虽然弹头没有受到影响，但官员们担心导弹可能会意外发射到护卫舰所在位置以南约 1000 米（3281 英尺）水面以上的目标区域。

截至周四下午，当局仍在调查此事。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。