Denmark strengthens its defense in Greenland with new ships, aircraft and headquarters

Denmark has announced additional defense spending of $4.2bn (£3.2bn) to boost security in Greenland, the Arctic region and the North Atlantic.

It will also spend $4.5 billion to purchase 16 more F-35 fighter aircraft from the United States, bringing its total fleet of these advanced aircraft to 43.

“With this… agreement, we significantly strengthen the capabilities of the Danish armed forces in the region,” Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said in a statement on Friday.

These defense reinforcements come after US President Donald Trump repeatedly expressed his desire to acquire Greenland, saying that the vast Antarctic island – under Danish sovereignty – is “vital” to national and economic security.

Denmark worked on the new defense package with the governments of Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

It will buy two new Arctic ships, maritime patrol aircraft, drones and early warning radar.

Crucially, a new Arctic Command headquarters will be established in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, along with a new military unit under the Greenland Joint Arctic Command.

“The mission of the armed forces is to ensure security throughout the kingdom and, if necessary, to defend Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Denmark within the framework of NATO in all areas,” Defense Chief Michael Hildegard told Danish public broadcaster DR.

In addition, a submarine cable linking Greenland and Denmark will be financed.

The Danish Ministry of Defense statement talks about deterrence and NATO commitments, but does not mention the United States or Russia.

But all this comes amid concerns about the intentions of President Trump, who has stated that he wants to control Greenland, for security reasons and for its vast resources.

“I think we will have that,” Trump said last January, referring to Greenland, adding that the island’s 57,000 residents “want to be with us.”

Greenland has been home to a US radar base since the Cold War and has long been of strategic importance to Washington.

Although the island has widespread autonomy, it remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Trump noted that the island is important for military efforts to track Chinese and Russian ships, which he said are “everywhere.”

Greenland is located on the shortest route from North America to Europe, making it strategically important to the United States. It is also home to a large American space facility.

It also enjoys a strategic location between North America and Russia.

In recent years, there has been increased interest in Greenland’s natural resources, including the extraction of rare earth minerals, uranium and iron.