Denmark’s Arctic Command focuses on Russian activity, not US threats, amid NATO exercises and increased defence spending in Greenland.
NUUK: Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command is focused on countering potential Russian activity, not defending against US military threats, its commander said.
Major General Soren Andersen stated his focus is squarely on Russia, not the United States, amid renewed security attention on the Arctic region.
US President Donald Trump has previously described Greenland as vital to US security and has not ruled out using force to control the autonomous Danish territory.
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“My focus is not toward the US, not at all. My focus is on Russia,” Andersen told Reuters aboard a Danish warship in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital.
He dismissed suggestions of conflict between NATO allies as a “hypothetical” scenario.
“I don’t see a NATO ally attacking another NATO ally,” Andersen said, referring to standard Danish defence planning with NATO.
European nations dispatched small military contingents to Greenland this week ahead of the Arctic Endurance NATO exercise.
The Arctic Command has invited the US to participate in this year’s winter-condition exercise, unlike a similar event last September.
“We invited them to participate in this exercise,” Andersen said, noting he did not yet know if the US would join.
The command conducts surveillance and search-and-rescue missions around Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
It utilises patrol vessels, aircraft, helicopters, satellite technology, and the Sirius dog-sled patrol for long-range operations.
Andersen said there were currently no Chinese or Russian ships near Greenland, with the closest Russian research vessel 310 nautical miles away.
NATO allies maintain “a good picture of the situation up here,” he added.
The commander expects an increase in Russian activities in the coming years.
“We have to start training and increase the presence here in the Arctic to protect NATO’s northern border,” Andersen stated.
Denmark allocated an Arctic defence package of 42 billion Danish crowns (USD 6.54 billion) in 2022 in response to rising security concerns.
Andersen emphasised that collaboration with US military personnel remains frequent and ongoing.
He recently met with US Northern Command and Alaska Command leaders at the US Pituffik base in Greenland. – Reuters
