Royal Life Guards (Denmark)
The Royal Life Guards is a mechanized infantry regiment of the Danish Army, founded in 1658 by King Frederik III. The primary task is to provide a number of soldiers from the Guard Company to serve as a guard/ceremonial unit to the Danish monarchy, while training the Royal Guards for various functions in the mobilisation force. Until its disbandment, the Royal Horse Guards, served the role as the mounted guard/ceremonial unit, afterwards the role was taken over by Guard Hussar Regiment Mounted Squadron. During the time period 1684–1867, the Royal Life Guards were called The Royal Foot Guard, in order to distinguish between the regiment and the Royal Horse Guards.
Life Guard in old combat uniform
Life Guard in combat uniform (m/84) staff company/1st battalion.
Soldier of 1st Company, 2nd Battalion during Combined Resolve III, Germany, 2014.
The Royal Danish Army is the land-based branch of the Danish Armed Forces, together with the Danish Home Guard. For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures, equipment and training methods, abandoning its traditional role of anti-invasion defence, and instead focusing on out of area operations by, among other initiatives, reducing the size of the conscripted and reserve components and increasing the active component, changing from 60% support structure and 40% operational capability, to 60% combat operational capability and 40% support structure. When fully implemented, the Danish army will be capable of deploying 1,500 troops permanently on three different continents continuously, or 5,000 troops for a shorter period of time, in international operations without any need for extraordinary measures such as parliamentary approval of a war funding bill.
Danish military veterans are welcomed home and greeted as victors in the streets of Copenhagen, upon return from the First Schleswig War, 1849. The banner reads 'Thank you, you who fell, and you who survived'
A Danish soldier surveys the Afghan plains while halted during a foot patrol in the district of Nahr-e Saraj, Helmand Province, Afghanistan on January 6, 2012
M60E6 general-purpose machine gun
Leopard 2A7DK main battle tank