Danish media campaign seeks to torpedo Elbit deal

Recent months have seen a widespread campaign in the Danish media against a $250 million deal signed between the Israeli defense electronics company Elbit Systems and the Danish army to supply artillery and rocket launchers.

Although the deal was signed at the beginning of 2023 and the first batches have already been delivered, in recent months, television channels and newspapers in the Scandinavian country have presented a set of undisclosed allegations against the deal, ranging from “the risks of purchasing weapons from a country at war,” to “fears regarding the electronic disabling of the Global Positioning System,” in addition to political conflicts between several parliamentary parties over the speed of approval of the deal, which actually led to the resignation of the Minister of Defense and the institution from the official of the investigation committee.

Elbit Systems told Globes in response to the case that it was based on a list of false claims ranging from delivery dates to Denmark, which were not affected by Israel’s war efforts, to safety issues related to the use of GPS. Industry sources point to the current competition for defense budgets in Europe as a possible motivation for the campaign and the desire of some parties on the political map to harm Israel.

At the same time, this controversy occupies a prominent place on Denmark’s political agenda, and is melodramatically referred to as a scandal and the “Elbit saga,” once again demonstrating the delicate situation facing Israeli arms exporters in the current European political climate.

Who pushed for the deal to be approved

The deal between Elbit and Denmark was signed in January 2023. The deal included, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the rapid supply to the Danish Army of 19 ATMOS artillery systems and eight PULS missile launchers. Denmark was in dire need of it because it had previously decided to donate its entire current and future arsenal of French-made artillery to Ukraine, like other Nordic countries. The Israeli deal was signed in record time, and all products were promised within approximately two years, to fill missing operational needs.

But only a few months after it was approved, it emerged that the Under-Secretary of Defense had “pressured” Parliament to approve the proposal on the grounds that it was time-limited and that if there was a delay the price would rise. Delivery dates will be extended, and the issue is beginning to take on political aspects. Defense Minister Jakob Elliman Jensen dismissed the undersecretary, apologized for the “misinformation” published by his ministry, ordered an internal investigation, and in August last year announced his resignation. He was replaced by Troels Lund Poulsen of his party, who still holds the position.

Although the first deliveries of the deal have already been made, it seems that it is not over yet. Over the past year, political figures, especially left-wing ones, have called for a more thorough investigation into the approval process. Less than two months ago, a joint publication of the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten and Danish state broadcaster leaked internal claims that “new weapons systems purchased by Denmark could be disabled by the Russians.” According to the report, the GPS components associated with the systems to be provided are vulnerable to electronic warfare attacks. “Replacing these components could delay the systems by three to four years,” the newspaper wrote.

Several weeks later, at the beginning of December, the allegations against the deal were again made public. This time, “potential delays in the production of missiles and missiles” for launchers purchased from Israel “could cause a one-year delay in the operation of the systems.” The report, which reappeared in Jyllands-Posten, quotes several political sources who also claimed that “there is a risk in purchasing weapons from a country that may need them for itself.” In other words, Israel’s priorities could disrupt supplies to Denmark, due to the need for self-defense and weapons for the Israeli army.

At the same time, a number of parties, supported by media sources and interviewed experts, called for a more comprehensive investigation into the dynamics of the original decision on the purchase in January 2023. An independent panel of experts concluded that the internal investigation “was not given sufficient authorization.” Last week, a number of opposition parties announced that they had collectively reached the required threshold of one-third of parliamentarians to launch a preliminary investigation by a committee. The committee can recommend a full investigation, but the government can block it with a majority of the current coalition. “We have not yet investigated the Elbit scandal in depth,” a senior member of the left-wing SF party told the media.

Part of the general atmosphere

The Danish military is not currently commenting on the deal. Sources in the Israeli defense industry explain that behind such huge deals there is sometimes competition from rival manufacturers, which is sometimes reflected in legal allegations (as happened in the drone deal with Germany) and media campaigns. According to these sources, the current issue is also part of the general atmosphere against Israel in Europe. Denmark is considered one of the countries where public opinion and the street clearly lean towards the pro-Palestinian direction, while the government maintains good relations with Israel. Elbit says that the allegations published against Israeli regimes in recent weeks are fundamentally false. Regarding “concern” about delays due to Israel’s war needs, the company said that “Elbit began supplying systems under contracts on a short schedule in early 2023, and committed to completing all supplies within approximately two years. Throughout the war, Elbit continued to support all Contract activities in Denmark and continued to supply guns, rocket launchers and missiles to Denmark under the contract.

Regarding claims relating to GPS components, Elbit asserts that “Elbit Systems supplies all military GPS-integrated precision missile munitions with some of the world’s most advanced, operationally proven capabilities. Any claim Another is a fundamental error and reflects a professional misunderstanding.”

The company added: “Elbit is proud to have been chosen by the Procurement Director of the Danish Ministry of Defense to supply the army with both the advanced gun system and the launch and missile systems for them. This comes after Elbit supplied the army. Denmark has had an advanced mortar system for several years, to the customer’s complete satisfaction, and the launch system is provided.” The missiles are also for other European countries, including NATO members.

Published by Globes, Israel Business News – en.globes.co.il – on December 29, 2024

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