Peter Harling Boysen
Major-General Peter Harling Boysen | |
|---|---|
General Peter H. Boysen during the Nordic Warfighter Symposium, 2024 | |
| Born | 3 April 1963 |
| Allegiance | Denmark |
| Branch | Royal Danish Army |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Alma mater | Kings College, London |
Peter Harling Boysen (born 3 April 1963) is a Danish general who serves as the Chief of the Royal Danish Army.
He has extensive experience from international warzones and special operations, including NATO operations and UN peacekeeping forces, and has served in the Bosnian War and the war in Afghanistan. He was chief of the Special Operations Command prior to his appointment as Army chief in 2024.[1]
In 2026, he leads the deployment to Greenland of hundreds of elite combat soldiers trained in arctic warfare, in response to the Greenland crisis.[2][3][4] Upon arrival, General Boysen said he is ready to defend Greenland.[5] Denmark has announced that a "substantial contribution" of the Danish Defence forces will be sent to Greenland under Boysen's command.[6][7]
Career
Boysen joined the Army in 1983 and graduated as an officer. He graduated from the Advanced Command and Staff Course in the United Kingdom and earned a master's degree in Defense Studies at King's College, London. He has extensive international experience from warzones and has held command posts in UNFICYP in Cyprus, UNPROFOR and SFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and has served with ISAF during the Afghanistan War. He was chief of planning in the Operations Staff from 2010 and chief of the Special Operations Command from 2018 to 2023. He then became Chief of the Royal Danish Army in 2024.[8]
Military ranks
His military ranks have been[1]
- 1989 First Lieutenant
- 1997 Captain
- 2000 Major
- 2006 Lieutenant Colonel
- 2014 Colonel
- 2018 Major-General
Honours
His honours include[1]
- Commander First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog
- Defence Medal for International Service
- Badge of Honour for Good Service in the Army
- U.S. Army Commendation Medal for Military Merit
- NATO Medal
- KFOR Medal
- ISAF 5 Medal
- Cyprus Medal
- UNPROFOR Medal
References
- ^ a b c "Peter H. Boysen" (PDF). Danish Defence.
- ^ "Trump-Greenland latest: Danish troops arrive with army chief after US president refuses to rule out military force". The Independent. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Denmark sends more troops to Greenland amid tensions with Trump". AJE. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Denmark sends troops and army chief to Greenland". Copenhagen Post. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Denmark's Army Chief Says He's Ready to Defend Greenland". The Atlantic. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "«Substansielt bidrag» danske soldater fremme på Grønland". Forsvarets forum (in Norwegian). Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Dansk TV2: Danmark sender flere soldater til Grønland". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 20 January 2026.
- ^ "Danskene får ny hærsjef". Forsvarets forum (in Norwegian). Retrieved 20 January 2026.