Denmark to boost Greenland defence with new ships, jets and HQ

Denmark has announced $4.2bn (£3.2bn) of extra defence spending to boost security in Greenland and the Arctic and North Atlantic regions.

It will also spend $4.5bn buying 16 more F-35 fighter jets from the United States, bringing its total fleet of such advanced planes to 43.

“With this… agreement we significantly strengthen the capabilities of the Danish Armed Forces in the region,” Denmark’s Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said in a statement on Friday.

The defence boost comes after US President Donald Trump repeatedly expressed his desire to acquire Greenland, saying the vast Arctic island – under Danish sovereignty – was “critical” for national and economic security.

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

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

Crucially, a new Arctic command headquarters will be set up in the Greenlandic capital, Nuuk, alongside a new military unit under Joint Arctic Command in Greenland.

“The task 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 domains,” the Chief of Defence, Michael Hyldgaard, told Danish public broadcaster DR, without saying who the potential adversaries were.

In addition, an undersea cable connecting Greenland and Denmark will be funded.

The statement by the Danish defence ministry talks about deterrence and Nato obligations – but it does not mention the United States or Russia.

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

“I think we’re going to have it,” Trump said in 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 strategically important for Washington.

Though the island has wide-ranging autonomy, it remains part of the kingdom of Denmark.

Trump suggested the island was crucial to military efforts to track Chinese and Russian ships, which he said are “all over the place”.

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

It is also strategically located between North America and Russia.

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