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Greenland
Denmark’s political parties have agreed to spend 14 billion krone ($2 billion) on strengthening defense capabilities in the Arctic and North Atlantic region, including Greenland.
In the first of two defense accords to bolster Arctic defense, the parties have agreed to procure two long-range uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and develop satellite-based sensor capabilities for situational awareness and intelligence gathering.
These capabilities are in addition to a trio of Arctic patrol ships will be able to deploy helicopters and small UAS.
The plans, aimed at providing increased security to the Faroe Islands and Greenland, have been primarily developed in response to the greater Russian presence in the Arctic region. But they also come at a time when new U.S. President Donald Trump has become increasingly fixated on claiming Greenland and its huge mineral wealth for the U.S. Greenland is a self-governing nation, but forms part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
“We must face the fact that there are serious challenges regarding security and defense in the Arctic and North Atlantic,” Danish Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen said. “For this reason, we must strengthen our presence in the region ... that is the objective of this agreement, which paves the way for further initiatives already this year.”
The two UAS are in addition to Danish plans to acquire two other UAS that were announced in early 2024. No decision on the platform has been unveiled publicly.
A second agreement on Arctic defense is to follow in the first half of 2025. Defense agreement documents suggest this could include investments in new unmanned systems for the Danish Navy, maritime patrol aircraft, fighters, transport aircraft and other relevant capabilities for the Air Force. The same documents say that Denmark’s fleet of Canadair CL-604 Challenger business jets, currently used for maritime security operations, are nearing the end of their operational life.
Other plans to strength Greenland’s defense include the installation of coastal radars, providing training to Greenland citizens and adapting airfields for military operations and flights.
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