New Danish military uniform after Nordic quality problems

The Danish military uniform is being renewed once again. With this decision, Denmark is moving away from part of the joint Nordic Combat Uniform project developed together with Finland, Norway and Sweden. Why has the country chosen another supplier after just one year?

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Why four Nordic countries developed a military uniform together

The plan to jointly procure a military uniform dates back to 2015, when the Nordic countries announced that they wanted to cooperate more closely. In 2018, all four countries shared their requirements for the uniform package, allowing suppliers to submit bids. A year later, the countries tested the first uniforms, but the pandemic disrupted the schedule. As a result, the project was temporarily paused.

In early 2022, Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway finally signed the contract for the new military uniform together. With the Nordic Combat Uniform System,, as the clothing package is called, the four countries entered a joint procurement process for the first time. The project has an estimated value of €425 million. A complete clothing package for one service member costs more than €2,000.

The countries receive essentially the same clothing package, including male and female fits. The only difference is that each country retains its own camouflage pattern. This allows the countries to remain distinguishable from one another. However, each country is responsible for purchasing accessories and personal protective equipment, such as headwear, gloves and safety footwear. These items therefore fall outside the contract.

Quality problems with the Nordic Combat Uniform

Unfortunately, the extensive project soon began to show cracks. The Swedish Armed Forces were the first to halt the rollout in the summer of 2025 because of measurement errors. Since personnel had been measured incorrectly, there was a surplus of small and extra small uniforms. At the same time, there were too few large uniforms available. According to the organisation, staff had to record 19 different measurements for each person, with leg lengths causing particular problems. Because of these issues, the Swedish Armed Forces decided to hire professionals to carry out the measurements.

In the autumn of 2025, the Norwegian military publication Forsvarets Forum published an article reporting problems with the trousers. They reportedly tore easily and quickly lost their colour.

Then, in early June 2026, the Finnish press reported that a serious problem had been discovered with the M23 combat shirt, which is also used by the other countries. According to the Norwegian newspaper VG, tests showed that the fabric of the combat shirt loses strength when it becomes wet with perspiration. The Norwegian Armed Forces subsequently stopped the delivery and use of the shirt.

Supplier Oskar Pedersen AS acknowledges that there are problems with the shirt. However, CEO Truls Oskar Pedersen emphasises that the shirt material is used throughout Europe. According to him, aside from the complaints, soldiers are generally very satisfied with the new clothing package.

Renewed Danish military uniform

While the other countries are still working to improve the uniforms and remain in talks with the supplier, Denmark appears to have moved beyond that stage. The Danish military uniform still received a positive response in June 2025.

But exactly one year later, Denmark signed a contract with another supplier. The country selected the Belgian company Seyntex, which has been producing combat clothing for several European armed forces for many years. Seyntex will supply the lightweight combat uniforms, heavy combat uniforms and combat base layers. The new items are expected to be delivered between October 2026 and October 2027.

The underwear, mid layer clothing, winter clothing and rainwear will remain part of the original contract.

Veronica Eng, project manager at the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency, Forsvarsmateriell (FMA), has stated that Norway does not plan to follow Denmark. The agency is confident that the current problems will be resolved.

The Danish military uniform is not an exception

To an outsider, the story above may sound very strange. How can a supplier use fabrics that lose their colour or are not strong enough? And measuring a body cannot be that difficult, can it?

Yet the story surrounding the Nordic Combat Uniform is not unique. The Ukrainian military has experienced similar errors involving the sizing of women’s equipment. Research published in 2025 found that more than 40% had received winter boots in the wrong size, while two thirds of the women had also received summer uniforms in the wrong size.

Problems with fabrics are not unusual within the military either. Usually, however, the situation works the other way around: an existing uniform fails to meet requirements, so a new one is purchased. In this case, the problems emerged with the new uniforms themselves. This is something we see more often with uniforms. The lawsuits involving American Airlines and Delta Air Lines demonstrate this. In those cases, employees complained that the fabrics caused rashes and even illness.

We see this less often with military uniforms. One reason is that researchers conduct relatively extensive studies into the effects of materials and fit on military personnel in the field. Increasingly, these studies combine field testing with research into nanotechnology and other new possibilities for improving uniforms. As a result, fabrics used in military uniforms often undergo much more extensive testing than those used in other industries.

Quality comes first

But people develop uniforms, and wherever people work, mistakes happen. In some cases, nobody can determine exactly why something went wrong. Why does a fabric work well for military personnel in other countries, but not for those in the Nordic countries? Climate conditions could play a role, or perhaps the fabric reacts badly when it rubs against other materials. A mistake at the factory could also explain the problem.

Whatever the cause, quality and safety come first. And if Denmark believes that part of the Danish military uniform fails to meet its requirements, it is hardly surprising that the country has chosen another supplier.

Want to read more about military uniforms? Also check:

• NATO summit workers receive towel made from army uniforms⁠
• Swiss Army is taking a step in the right direction with women’s underwear⁠
• Netherlands introduces fractal pattern for Dutch military camouflage⁠

Kind regards,

Aileen