Authors Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Stine Jacobsen
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Denmark’s government has proposed buying two new Arctic inspection ships and increasing dog-sled patrols to boost its military presence in Greenland, as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump cast his eye over the island, local media reported.
The government has also proposed upgrading the airport in Kangerlussuaq, a former US military base in western Greenland, to accommodate F-35 fighter jets, broadcasters DR and TV2 reported on Friday.
Denmark has already earmarked $400 million to boost surveillance and intelligence in the Arctic and North Atlantic with long-range drones.
Trump this week reiterated his ambition to gain control of Greenland, Denmark’s semi-autonomous Arctic territory that the incoming US president sees as crucial to US security.
Although Denmark is responsible for the security and defense of Greenland, it has limited military capabilities on the vast island. Currently, this includes four aging inspection vessels, a Challenger reconnaissance aircraft and 12 dog patrols, all tasked with monitoring an area four times the size of France.
The tradition of using sled dogs to patrol Greenland dates back to World War II, and the patrol was a specialized unit of the Royal Danish Navy.
DEFENSE TALKS
After more than a decade of drastic cuts in defense spending, Denmark last year set aside 190 billion Danish kroner ($26 billion) for its military over a ten-year period, part of which will be for the Arctic.
Danish lawmakers began long-delayed talks on Friday on how to distribute the funds, which are progressively allocated through political agreements. Debates that began Friday focused on how much of the budget should go toward Greenland’s defense needs.
Earlier this week, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said he couldn’t wait to brief Trump on Denmark’s “massive” military buildup since his last term as president.
However, Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen admitted on Thursday that necessary military investment had been “neglected for many years”.
Poulsen said last month that more funding should be allocated to Denmark’s military presence in the Arctic, although he did not provide specifics.
“The U.S. concern is real and there are some very specific, huge problems with Greenland,” defense analyst and retired Navy Commander Jens Wenzel Kristoffersen told Reuters.
“The US needs to feel safe in this area, and if Denmark doesn’t do something about it, then they will have to deal with it themselves.”
The US military maintains a permanent presence at Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland. The strategic location is vital for the US military and its ballistic missile early warning system, as the shortest route from Europe to North America passes through the island.
On Thursday, the US Embassy in Copenhagen said there were no plans to increase the US military presence in Greenland.
($1 = 7.2425 Danish kroner)
