Denmark sacks defense chief after warship malfunction in Red Sea battle

By Ebad Ahmed

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AA) – Denmark’s military chief has been sacked, reportedly over technical problems that caused a Navy frigate to suffer outages while in a live combat situation in the Red Sea.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced the sacking of Chief of Defense Gen. Flemming Lentfer as he no longer had confidence in the head of the military, but did not specify the reason. “With the challenges we are facing, a new chief of defense is needed,” Poulsen said.

Danish military news website OLFI reported that the Danish government relieved Lentfer of his duties as he failed to report flaws in a Danish frigate's air defense and weapons systems which emerged last month during an attack by Houthi militants in the Red Sea – part of a series of attacks since Israel’s offensive on Gaza began last October.

The website cited a leaked document saying that the warship’s ammunition system malfunctioned so that half of its rounds detonated before they hit their target.

"Our clear understanding is that the issue has been known for years without the necessary sense of urgency to resolve the problem," the frigate's commanding officer reportedly wrote.

Poulsen said he was unaware of the frigate's faults until media reports disclosed it, adding that Michael Wiggers Hyldgaard will be replacing Lentfer as interim defense chief.