“Planning work is underway on increased NATO activity under the name Arctic Sentry,” said Martin L. O’Donnell, spokesperson for NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), confirming earlier reports by Germany’s Der Spiegel. He declined to provide further details.
The mission is expected to follow the model of NATO’s Baltic Sentry operation, launched last year to protect critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. According to reports, Arctic Sentry would focus on Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory that has recently become a point of diplomatic tension.
In mid-January, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said member states were working on coordinated measures to ensure security in the Arctic.
A group of European countries, led by the United Kingdom and Germany, has reportedly discussed plans to expand their military presence on Greenland to signal to U.S. President Donald Trump that Europe is committed to Arctic security.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in late January that discussions on Arctic Sentry were “progressing well,” though the mission had not been finalized. He noted the strategic military importance of the Arctic as a connector between Europe and North America, adding that “both our American allies and President Trump are aware of this.”
Tensions over Greenland intensified in January after Trump reiterated interest in acquiring the island, triggering diplomatic pushback from Denmark and several NATO allies. However, at the World Economic Forum in Davos later that month, Trump announced he would not impose additional tariffs on goods from eight European countries that had deployed military delegations to Greenland.
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Source: PAP