Denmark's Ministry of Defense announced that it will increase military presence and exercises in Greenland—an autonomous Danish territory aimed at countering the United States—in collaboration with its NATO allies, due to rising tensions in the Arctic. "The objective is to train the ability to operate under the special conditions of the Arctic and to reinforce the Alliance's footprint in the Arctic, for the benefit of both European and transatlantic security," the Defense Ministry stated in a communiqué, adding there will be a greater presence of "aircraft, ships, and soldiers, also from NATO allies," on and around the island. Among the possible activities for this year are mentioned the protection of essential societal infrastructure, assistance to authorities (including the police), reception of allied troops, deployment of fighter jets, and naval military tasks. The Arctic Command (responsible for defense in Denmark's autonomous territories of Greenland and the Faroe Islands) "will continuously inform the Greenlandic public about the activities and will maintain a close dialogue with relevant Greenlandic authorities and actors." The Defense Ministry recalls that last summer it already increased its presence on the island with several initiatives, including exercises with four other NATO countries (France, Norway, Sweden, and Germany). "Security in the Arctic has a fundamental meaning for the Kingdom of Denmark and our allies, which is why it is important that we further strengthen our ability to operate in the region, together with our allies," stated Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen in the communiqué. Poulsen added that in the coming weeks, Denmark and its "Arctic and European" allies will determine how the increase in military personnel and activity will be concretely implemented. Denmark's public broadcaster DR had reported hours earlier about the deployment of an advance command to Greenland to prepare for the arrival of more military personnel. A Danish Army plane landed Monday night at Nuuk Airport, the capital of Greenland, according to images broadcast by 'DR'. Denmark has announced in the past year an allocation of about 42 billion Danish kroner (about 6 billion euros) to directly reinforce defense in Greenland, which includes more ships, more satellites, and more drones. Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen reiterated on Tuesday that Copenhagen is willing to increase military presence in the Arctic, which the United States has accused it of neglecting in the face of the alleged presence of Russian and Chinese ships in its vicinity, even though Washington has also reduced its own presence in Greenland, where it has a base in the north of the island. Several European countries, led by the United Kingdom and Germany, commented this week that they are studying the possibility of NATO increasing its presence on the island to try to appease U.S. President Donald Trump, who cites national defense motives to justify taking control of Greenland. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, are scheduled to meet this Wednesday at the White House with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a meeting hosted by Vice President JD Vance.
