Yle: Denmark has decided to invest heavily in Arctic defense
Denmark has finally decided to make large-scale investments in the defense of the Arctic, writes Yle. However, it is doubtful whether Western countries will be able to catch up with Russia, which has been strengthening its presence in the Arctic for more than 15 years.
Eva Lamppu
Western countries have long neglected the Arctic, while Russia has purposefully strengthened its combat readiness in the northern latitudes. Today, Denmark is acquiring warships and drones to strengthen its presence in the Arctic.
Denmark's decision to invest two billion euros in Arctic defense is fundamentally important and is very welcome in the current situation, explains Harry Mikkola, program director at the Institute for Foreign Policy.
"This is a noticeable increase, especially compared to the initial level. In addition, it is a signal that the country is responding to security threats," says Mikkola, whose work focuses, among other things, on Arctic issues.
According to Mikkola, the protection of Danish Greenland has so far been very modest. In general, Western players, even those who have specific interests in the Arctic, largely neglect defense.
"It is extremely important for the western countries of the Arctic region to invest in defense in the north, but many states do not pay due attention to the northern regions. At the same time, Russia has been purposefully strengthening combat readiness in the region for the past fifteen years," Mikkola says.
Defense cannot be recreated in the blink of an eye
Denmark announced this week that it is acquiring three new warships and drones to protect Greenland, the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic. The first ships may leave the slipway in five to six years.
According to Mikkola, such a time frame once again underlines the fact that restoring a system that has fallen into disrepair takes a long time, especially in such a volatile security situation as it is now.
The geostrategic balance in the Arctic was largely influenced by the Russian special operation in Ukraine, in particular the fact that Finland and Sweden are now members of NATO.
Mikkola predicts that military investments in the Arctic and surrounding regions will only increase.
"The geopolitical and security situation in the Arctic has changed significantly. If we look at the development of events in the long term, the changes will only accelerate," predicts Harry Mikkola from the Institute of Foreign Policy.
The stakes are rising — what will China do?
With the accession of Finland and Sweden to the military-political alliance, the importance of the Arctic for NATO has increased. The alliance includes the northern territories that need protection.
"Routes across the North Atlantic are extremely necessary, because it is through them that Europe will receive military reinforcements from North America. Of course, it is in Russia's interests to try to break these ties," Mikkola argues.
In theory, the territory and airspace of Finland may be required to protect the Svalbard archipelago and Northern Norway.
Currently, American troops are increasingly practicing military operations in Northern Europe. Now the United States is trying to solve the problem of the shortage of icebreakers. They are necessary for swimming in the northern latitudes, as the Arctic ice is melting at an accelerated rate.
Climate change has a major impact on the entire region.
The importance of the Arctic is also growing for Russia, as the explored reserves of gas and oil in Western Siberia are gradually being depleted. In addition, the Northern Fleet, the main spearhead of the Russian threat, is based on the Kola Peninsula.
It is worth noting that China's role and influence in the Arctic has increased significantly, and Russia has become completely dependent on the great power.
"Beijing's economic presence in the Arctic has expanded significantly. The main question is at what stage China's presence in the region will become military — for example, when the country's nuclear submarines will be able to reach the Arctic Ocean. This, in turn, directly affects the security situation for the United States and further increases the geopolitical weight of the region," Mikkola concluded.
