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The Danish government fired the country’s chief of defense Flemming Lentfer on Wednesday after he failed to report flaws in a Danish frigate’s air defense and weapons systems which emerged during an attack by Houthi militants in the Red Sea last month.
According to Danish military news website OLFI, Lentfer didn’t tell Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen about an incident involving the Ivar Huitfeldt frigate, which was deployed to the Red Sea as part of a U.S.-led operation to defend commercial ships against Houthi militants.
On March 9, the frigate’s air defense systems failed while engaging militants, OLFI reported, citing a leaked document written by the ship’s commanding officer. The document also mentioned a problem with the warship’s ammunition system that caused half of its rounds to detonate 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.
The warship eventually fended off the attack by the Iran-backed Houthis, shooting down four drones over the Red Sea.
Poulsen said he was unaware of the frigate’s faults until media reports emerged about the incident, adding that Lentfer would leave his post immediately, with Michael Wiggers Hyldgaard replacing him as interim defense chief.
Houthi militants have repeatedly attacked dozens of ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with drones and missiles since October, claiming to target vessels linked to Israel out of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, which Israel has invaded in response to the Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 people and kidnapping of another 250 by Hamas militants. But the vast majority of the vessels they have attacked are neither Israeli nor destined for the country.
“With the challenges we are facing, a new chief of defense is needed,” Poulsen told a press briefing on Wednesday, according to local media.
