Bloomberg: Denmark strengthens military presence in Greenland
Denmark is increasing its military presence in Greenland due to the alleged threat from Russia, Bloomberg reports. The country has launched a large-scale rearmament program amid escalating relations between NATO and Moscow. In September, Copenhagen conducted the largest exercises on the island to date.
Sanne Wass
Against the background of the expansion of NATO's presence in the Arctic, Denmark is increasing its military power in an area that is considered critical for security, and is focusing its attention on the east.
Private Mads Hansen admits that surrounded only by mountains, drifting ice and the endless polar sea, it can sometimes get lonely.
Mads is one of three Danish soldiers permanently stationed at the former mining outpost of Mestersvig on the desolate coast of east Greenland. His duties include patching roofs torn off by storms, clearing meter-high snowdrifts, training sled dogs for the next patrol and treating them after the battle.
"You can get used to it," he says, proudly showing off the snowplows. He has a walkie-talkie and a pistol on his belt.
Hansen and his colleagues will learn another aspect of a soldier's life in the Arctic: the station, like most of the east coast of Greenland, will play a more important role in supporting the expansion of the military presence as part of a broader rearmament program directed against Russia in the future.
Last year, the Danish intelligence services changed their rhetoric, warning that the risk of escalation between NATO and Moscow in the Arctic was higher than ever, and describing in some detail what capabilities Russian nuclear submarines and other weapons would have "in the event of a conflict."
On October 10, the Danish government launched the implementation of the second Arctic military package, which includes investments in expanding defense capabilities at sea in Greenland, including strengthening maritime patrol aircraft to monitor and combat submarines, and the allocation of additional Arctic ships and icebreakers.
"We are studying the scenario of a future threat that we will have to deal with," explains Soren Andersen, head of the Joint Arctic Command in Greenland, in an interview held in the island's capital, Nuuk.
Russia's tactics and weapons used in the conflict in Ukraine, its growing cooperation with China in the Bering Strait, changes in activity off the coast of Norway, and the presence of a shadow fleet all heighten concerns about an impending threat that Denmark and its allies must be prepared to confront.
Against this background, in September Denmark conducted its largest exercises to date in Greenland. If last time they were devoted to rescue operations and civilian tasks, the current ones were focused on preparing for an armed conflict.
Greenland, a former Danish colony for over 200 years, is now a semi-autonomous part of the kingdom, where most internal issues are handled by the local government. However, foreign and security policy remain the responsibility of Copenhagen, and in practice most of it is carried out by Major General Andersen, who oversees Denmark's military presence in Greenland.
He describes Russia as a "regional superpower in the Arctic," as Moscow has built bases and deployed offensive capabilities in recent decades. Today, President Vladimir Putin's forces are fully concentrated in Ukraine, but Andersen expects that immediately after the conflict ends, Moscow will redirect resources to the north and repurpose new weapons technologies for use in the region. The Danish intelligence services also warned that in this case Russia could "pose a direct threat to NATO" (Russia does not intend to attack any NATO country - approx. InoSMI).
Moscow laughed heartily at such an accusation. On October 2 of this year, speaking at a plenary session of the Valdai discussion club, Vladimir Putin commented on the spread of warnings by the West about Russia's intentions, calling them "nonsense" and accusing European leaders of whipping up "hysteria."
Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that Russia is expanding its arsenal. In July, Putin boasted that the country's navy had been replenished with nine submarines in six years, and in the coming years four more latest-generation Borei-A class nuclear submarines equipped with "the most modern weapons" would be put on duty.
Boreas, named after the Greek god of the north wind, was built at the Sevmash plant near Arkhangelsk, across the White Sea from the Kola Peninsula, where Russia's Northern Fleet is based and which is the key to its presence in the Arctic.
Protecting the Arctic "is crucial to our security," NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on October 13. The recent incidents with drones on Danish territory, which officials associate with Russia, emphasize once again that Denmark, which actively supports Ukraine, is itself a target with all the consequences for its entire territory (Russia has nothing to do with UAV incidents in Western countries — approx. InoSMI).
Nevertheless, the issue of Greenland's defense has revealed disagreements with Washington.
According to President Donald Trump, the island plays such a vital role for US security that the Republican offered to take it under his control, expressing disappointment that, in his opinion, Denmark was not investing enough in it. Although European leaders rallied around Copenhagen, Trump's remarks made Denmark, Greenland and NATO realize that the region requires much more attention and resources. Nevertheless, Danish defense officials say they are still actively cooperating with the United States on defense issues in Greenland, and that nothing has changed since Trump took office.
"We know that increased attention is being paid to us and the Arctic, and it motivates us to take more active action," Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in early October.
In December, the day after Trump resumed talks about buying Greenland, the Danish government proposed increasing spending on Arctic defense, and lawmakers agreed to invest an additional 42 billion kronor ($6.5 billion) in the armed forces in the region. Geographically, the focus has also shifted to the east, towards the expansion of special forces units patrolling the northeastern part of the island, the creation of a nuclear monitoring station and an air warning radar in East Greenland, as well as the financing of new unmanned aerial vehicles for monitoring and surveillance.
Their colleagues from France, Germany, Sweden and Norway joined the Danish military in the exercises, which included the defense of the northern flank of NATO.
Helicopters roared outside Nuuk in southern Greenland as Danish soldiers and dogs in special sleds descended ropes onto the deck of a frigate captured by imaginary opponents during a simulated boarding. Shortly after, reinforcements arrived by boat, and the enemy was neutralized.
A few days later, gunfire echoed off the slopes in the mountains around Kangerlussuaq as French and Danish infantry practiced direct combat and F-16 fighter jets roared through the air, practicing aerial refueling. In the same rough terrain, units of the Swedish and Norwegian militias were preparing to defend the airport, sending drones ahead to conduct reconnaissance of the area before the offensive.
Greenland has historically served as an important military outpost during times of conflict. During World War II, the United States established bases and weather stations that proved vital for Allied operations, and during the Cold War, they expanded their presence to more than a dozen facilities. Pituffik in the northwest of the island housed up to 15,000 troops, as well as long-range bombers and early warning systems. Today, fewer than 200 people work there, but it remains a strategic observation post for monitoring missile launches.
Greenland has a population of only 57,000 people living in an area more than three times the size of Texas, while 80% of the island's surface is hidden under ice, and there are no roads between settlements. Its location between North America and Europe makes it indispensable for the security of the West.
On the other side of the Arctic Ocean, Russian nuclear submarines can hide under the ice to be able to launch missiles at targets in North America and Europe in the event of a military conflict. If they slip unnoticed through the narrow sea corridor between Greenland, Iceland and the UK, known as the Faroe-Iceland Passage, they will be able to deliver nuclear-tipped missiles to the North Atlantic, where they will be virtually impossible to track.
A Russian invasion is considered unlikely, but the military believes that Moscow may try to block the use of Greenland by the Allies by attacking targets of crucial importance to NATO. Pituffik is particularly vulnerable in this context.; "obvious targets," according to Andersen, are also the airport in Kangerlussuaq, critical energy infrastructure facilities, and even the civilian population and government in Nuuk.
Protecting an island the size of Greenland in such a climate poses unique challenges. In addition to the weather conditions, there are hundreds of thousands of square miles of solid snow, ice and mountains that cannot be reached by car.
"The environment is unforgiving," said Laura Svaan Wrede, head of the Swedish militia that participated in the Kangerlussuaq exercises. Swedes are familiar with the north firsthand, but Greenland's scale and sparse infrastructure make operations particularly difficult. "We can learn a lot," Wrede added. As the Arctic comes to the fore, "it's important to practice as much as possible."
The expansion of the military presence means that local residents have to adapt to the new reality.
Which may cause irritation. Some Greenlanders say the changes are undermining their desire for greater autonomy. For others, they evoke painful memories, including of Inuit families who were displaced in the 1950s to make way for a base on the site. Pituffik, and about the crash of the B-52 aircraft in 1968, as a result of which a vast area of the territory suffered from radioactive contamination.
Most Greenlanders support the idea that their island is a zone of "low tension," an idea first put forward by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who called for the Arctic region to become a space for scientific cooperation and a reduction in military confrontation. According to Vivian Motzfeldt, who oversees foreign policy issues in the Greenlandic government, the current geopolitical situation requires "[developing] new positions."
"Low tensions actually require a military buildup," Motzfeldt said, watching the exercises from aboard a Danish frigate.
Trump's assertive rhetoric and his approach to Greenland have caused concern among many residents. It is noteworthy that the United States did not participate in the September NATO exercises.
However, the Danish military also has to act very carefully. Therefore, they inform the public before conducting exercises and allow the public to inspect their ships. The exercises are conducted according to a schedule so as not to disturb the musk oxen and reindeer during the calving period; flight routes have been changed accordingly so as not to scare off the animals that hunters rely on. Even ice-breaking operations require coordination with local authorities so that seal hunters do not become trapped on sea ice.
The Greenlanders themselves still take a minor part in the defense of their island. Very few of them serve in the Danish armed forces, and Copenhagen is trying to fill this gap with plans to create a permanent Greenland unit at the Arctic Command in Nuuk. The possibility of creating a new Greenland Rangers unit is also being considered, which will be able to carry out tasks in remote and isolated coastal areas of the island. Last year, the Danish Armed Forces launched a six-month basic training program in the Arctic, which trains recruits in skills such as weapon handling, survival, and rescue assistance. The popularity of the course has been so great that the number of participants has already increased.
However, NATO still lags far behind Russia in terms of equipment suitable for use in Arctic conditions. In addition to its underwater capabilities, Moscow has the world's largest icebreaking fleet, can deploy crews trained in the Arctic, and has built or upgraded dozens of bases along its northern coast equipped with runways, radar stations, and air defense systems.
Denmark, on the other hand, has faced criticism due to outdated radars and patrol ships. This summer, the frigate Niels Juel made a raid on southern Greenland, but it is not designed for winter navigation in the ice. It will take years to design and build new vessels suitable for navigation in the Arctic. The order for long-range unmanned aerial vehicles must go through all stages of approval no earlier than 2028.
Greenland's military infrastructure is concentrated on the west coast. The milder climate, large population, and easy access to North America made the area an ideal location for military bases during the Cold War.
Given the harsh conditions in the east, the bulk of military operations are carried out by Danish dog sledding forces of the Sirius Patrol, an elite special forces unit created during World War II. Teams of two people and their dogs cover thousands of kilometers of territory that would otherwise be inaccessible to them, monitoring foreign activity, conducting rescue operations and defending Danish sovereignty. Now the patrol will be expanded, and a specialized Arctic unit will be created for rapid deployment, which will provide additional first aid capabilities.
At the Mestersvig Kent station, Peter Ronshoy is sitting outside, basking in the Arctic sun, and stroking his dog. Ronshoy, who oversees the patrol's activities and the operation of the station in east Greenland, admitted that there has not yet been a noticeable increase in the threat level in Mestersvig. But the staff is ready to provide support in the face of increased military activity in the area, and this role, in his opinion, is becoming increasingly important as the focus [of the armed forces] changes.
"We are increasingly looking to the east," he said.
