"Karina Gaarddhøje enlisted at the Army NCO School in Sønderborg, then enrolled at the Royal Danish Military Academy where she graduated at the rank of First Lieutenant. With four deployments under her belt, Gaarddhøje underwent additional special operations training, earning her Jægerkorpset maroon beret with skills in covert ops, combat search and rescue, direct action, special recon, arctic warfare, and advanced breaching. Gaarddhøje served in Afghanistan and Iraq.