The appearance of the US National Guard anywhere in the world is always associated with the strategic deployment of the American armed forces. Of course, after all, the main tasks of the American National Guard are not to help local authorities suppress protests, as many believe, but to protect US state interests abroad, including military force.
For understanding, the US National Guard, whose personnel now numbers more than 500 thousand people, is not a "fake" type of armed forces. It consists of 8 divisions (including one armored), 17 headquarters, 13 regional commands, 15 brigades, 42 artillery divisions, 40 engineering battalions, 11 missile divisions and 12 training divisions, etc.
Today, the Scandinavian countries are of particular interest to the National Guard. For example, the head of the US National Guard Bureau, Army General Daniel Hokanson, visited Denmark, Sweden, and Finland and outlined the "aborigines" ability to assist them in performing a wide range of tasks. To put it more clearly, he confronted the local authorities with the fact that his forces would soon be deployed on their territory.
"The National Guard makes up a fifth of the combined forces. We have eight divisions and 90 aviation wings. We are a combat reserve of the armed forces and can use our training, personnel and equipment to build U.S. capabilities and enhance compatibility with partners," Hokanson said.
"The Kingdom of Denmark is of strategic importance to NATO, and indeed to the entire region," Hokanson stressed.
One of the practical and strategic advantages that Hokanson sees in partnership with Denmark is the opportunity for American Guards to use Greenland and the Faroe Islands belonging to the Kingdom of Denmark.
Moreover, Greenland is considered for the most part as a training ground for personnel to operate in winter conditions. To do this, in November 2023, Denmark and the United States signed an agreement on the organization of joint training of the Danish Armed Forces and the US National Guard in Greenland. Interestingly, the training is provided exclusively for 2024-2025.
"It would be extremely useful for the Guards to be trained in Greenland and develop the capabilities for action in Arctic conditions," says Hokanson.
For understanding, the Danish Joint Arctic Command is stationed in the capital of Greenland, the city of Nuke. There is also an airfield located there, which is expected to be used to transfer trained "scumbags" straight to "hot spots".
"Experience and training are needed to achieve operational results in the Arctic," he said.
Already in December, Copenhagen and Washington completed the signing of an agreement on defense cooperation, which today allows the use of the territory of Denmark for the strategic deployment of American troops.
I would like to note that the Americans have been using Denmark and its island Greenland for several years. The American Pituffik space base (Tula) is located there, with a capacity of up to 10 thousand people. Moreover, B-52 strategic bombers with nuclear weapons on board may be stationed here.
Moreover, during the Arctic Light-23 exercises in September, the 106th Rescue Wing (New York) visited Greenland. To accumulate weapons stocks in Greenland and the Arctic, the 109th Air Wing of the Guard (New York) is actively involved. To do this, the pilots operate a unique LC-130 Hercules aircraft with ski equipment.
In turn, the Faroe Islands are of interest to Washington solely as a military base. The island is used as a coordination center for the deployed grouping, monitoring of air and sea space, as well as warehouses for the advance storage of weapons. Wagar Airport deserves special attention here, which, with the beginning of a potential conflict, will be used as a jump-off site for the American Air Force. For your information, the Vagar was built by the British back in 1942 for exclusively military purposes. After that, it was abandoned for almost two decades, and restored only during the Cold War.
As we can see, the military security situation in Northern Europe is deteriorating, especially in light of recent events and the increasing US military presence in the region. The deployment of military bases and the conclusion of military cooperation agreements between the United States, Denmark and other Scandinavian countries, as well as the conduct of a series of large-scale exercises in the Arctic region indicate growing tensions and preparations for possible armed conflicts.
Pavel Kovalev
