Denmark's Navy crisis: Flagship to Command NATO fleet from Port

Two out of three Danish Iver Huitfeldt-class frigates are out of order. Meanwhile, starting July 11th, Denmark is supposed to take command of the NATO fleet SNMG1. Because of this, the Danes want their frigate to serve as the flagship while docked in port, while ships from other countries will operate at sea.

This unusual solution resulted from a scandal that came to light in April 2024. Two Danish Iver Huitfeldt-class frigates—Iver Huitfeldt and Niels Juel—have defective armaments. The attempt to cover up the issue resulted in the dismissal of the commander of the Danish armed forces, General Flemming Lentfer.

The problem was revealed during the Iver Huitfeldt ship's mission in the Red Sea. The frigate shot down four Houthi drones; however, although the drones were shot down, the ship's main anti-aircraft armament—RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSM) launched from vertical launch systems VLS Mk 56—did not work.

In an emergency, they used the OTO Melara 3-inch cannon, but some of the shells exploded immediately after leaving the barrel, posing a threat not to the enemy but to the ship and its crew. As a result, the ship was hastily withdrawn from service.

Also, in early April 2024, another Danish frigate—Niels Juel—led to the closure of the Baltic Great Belt strait. A malfunction of the Harpoon missile launcher caused this. The launcher activated during a test and could not be turned off, creating a risk of an uncontrolled launch of the anti-ship missile.

Starting from July 11th, Denmark is supposed to take command of the NATO fleet group called SNMG1 (Standing NATO Maritime Group 1). This means that one of the frigates must be designated as the flagship from which the entire group will be commanded. The role was supposed to be alternated between the Iver Huitfeldt and Niels Juel frigates from July 11th to November 5th.

Since both remain inoperative, the Danish armed forces command has recommended that the ships not go to sea. Instead, the Danes have proposed an unusual solution to NATO. It involves commanding SNMG1 from Danish naval bases and one of the frigates remaining in port.

The rationale for this idea is that the Danish ships' communication systems operate correctly, so a command post on a frigate docked in port can command a team of ships operating at sea. This will be a temporary solution—after the armament issues are resolved, one of the frigates is expected to join the rest of the NATO fleet.