Denmark will buy new fighter aircraft in 2015. This is stated in the 20014-17 Defense Agreement. The Danish Parliament will accordingly need to allocate funds in the range of 20 to 30 billion Danish kroner to replace the Royal Danish Air Force’s fleet of aging F-16 fighter jets. This will be the largest defence procurement program in a generation and it will have long-term effects on Danish military capabilities as well as the procurement plans and opportunities of the Danish Armed Forces. Substantial effort is currently being put into deliberating and preparing a comprehensive platform for making the final decision. A dedicated “New Combat Aircraft Program Office” within the Ministry of Defence is conducting analyses of the strategic, military, economic, and industrial issues inherent in the choice between the three competitor aircraft. These will inform members of Parliament as they choose the number and type of replacement aircraft. This decision, in turn, will determine the general capabilities and shape of the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) for the next 40 years. Denmark is not alone in making such significant decisions at this time. The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden have faced similar requirements and have recently made, or will soon make, similar decisions. These countries have modernized, reorganized, downsized, restructured, adapted, and transformed their airpower capabilities in ways that can inform Danish decisions and stimulate debate about the future of Danish airpower. The intent of this symposium is to provide analyses of these experiences by scholars and officers from these countries to Danish civilian and military policy makers and to the wider public. Our objective is not to consider or judge which aircraft is best or make recommendations as to appropriate investments. It is, rather, to provide a platform for discussing the long-term opportunities and constraints that such an investment entails. If Denmark’s experience with the F-16s is instructive, new aircraft will enable new capabilities and new opportunities for their use. These could require changes in the organization of the RDAF, the number and type of its personnel, their training, education, and career development, ethos, the support and maintenance
structure, and basing. Furthermore, a valuable lesson from the F-16 program is that international collaboration in missions,
modernization, maintenance, and training is essential in today’s use of airpower. Understanding what Denmark’s allies and partners
have done and will do to overcome similar challenges and realize similar opportunities should prove useful as politicians,
civil servants, and officers are required to make further decisions as new aircraft are being integrated into Danish and allied air
force structures in the period ahead.