Denmark plans new Arctic vessels and airport upgrades as Trump eyes Greenland

Denmark’s government has announced plans to boost its military presence in Greenland by acquiring two new Arctic inspection vessels and expanding dog sled patrols, local media reported. The move comes as US President-elect Donald Trump sets his sights on the island.

According to broadcasters DR and TV2, the government also intends to upgrade the airport in Kangerlussuaq, a former US military base in western Greenland to support F-35 fighter jets.

Denmark has already allocated $400 million to improve surveillance and intelligence capabilities in the Arctic and North Atlantic using long-range drones.

Trump made clear again this week that he’d like the semiautonomous territory of Denmark to come under U.S. control and said he would not rule out the use of military force to make that happen.

“We need Greenland for national security purposes,” Trump said.

But Blinken said Wednesday that the incoming president’s ambitions are unlikely to amount to anything more than talk.

The Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, has said she does not believe the United States will use military or economic power to secure control over Greenland and has appealed for U.S. behavior “that is respectful of the Greenlandic people.”

Denmark, while responsible for Greenland’s security and defence, has limited military capabilities on the vast island. At present, these include four ageing inspection vessels, a Challenger surveillance plane and 12 dog sled patrols, all tasked with monitoring an area four times the size of France.

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The tradition of using sled dogs for patrolling Greenland dates back to World War II, with the patrol being a specialized unit of the Royal Danish Navy.

Following more than a decade of drastic cuts in defence spending, last year Denmark allocated 190 billion Danish crowns ($26 billion) for its military over a ten-year span, some of which will be for the Arctic.

Danish lawmakers began long-delayed talks on Friday on how to apportion those funds, which are being progressively allocated via political agreements. The discussions that commenced on Friday focused on what portion of the budget should be go to Greenland’s defence requirements.

The U.S. military maintains a permanent presence at the Pituffik Space Base in Greenland’s northwest. The strategic location is vital for the U.S. military and its ballistic missile early-warning system, as the shortest route from Europe to North America runs via the island.

On Thursday, the U.S. embassy in Copenhagen stated that there were no plans to increase the U.S. military presence in Greenland.

With inputs from agencies.