Denmark has implemented its expanded conscription system, designed to counter growing Russian threats and U.S. President Donald Trump's pressure to annex Greenland.

Reuters reported that approximately 1,600 new Danish conscripts began their mandatory service on the 3rd local time, under a system extended to 11 months.

Following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Denmark has pushed to strengthen its national defense by extending the service period from the previous 4 months to 11 months, while expanding conscription to include women aged 18 and older alongside men.

[Kajsa / 19-year-old Danish recruit: 11 months is a very long time, but you receive excellent long-term training to become a soldier. I am really looking forward to that part.]

Denmark also plans to increase the number of annual conscripts, currently at around 5,000, to 7,500 by 2033.

Among the new recruits beginning their service that day was 19-year-old Princess Isabella, second in line to the Danish throne.

German news agency dpa reported that Princess Isabella, the second daughter of King Frederik X and Australian-born Queen Mary, arrived at a military barracks in Slagelse carrying a backpack.

Princess Isabella is scheduled to serve an unpaid 11-month term with the Guard Hussar Regiment.

Her older brother, Crown Prince Christian, who is first in line to the throne, also completed his military service as a conscript and began an army officer training course last year.

Denmark is also preparing to deploy conscripts to Greenland for the first time starting later this month.

A company-sized unit consisting of about 100 conscripts is scheduled to be dispatched to Greenland for one month to take over operational duties previously handled by career soldiers.

Reuters noted that deploying conscripts to Greenland carries significant political weight, given that President Trump has repeatedly expressed his intent to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark.

Denmark currently operates a lottery-based conscription system targeting healthy young adults aged 18 and older.

However, because volunteers have filled most of the quotas in recent years, the lottery has only been used to make up for shortfalls.

(Reported by Lee Hyeon-yeong | Video by Seo Byeong-wook | Graphics by Lee Jeong-ju | Produced by SBS Digital News)