Denmark strengthens Greenland defenses with new ships, jets and headquarters

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

We will also spend $4.5 billion to purchase 16 additional F-35 fighter jets from the United States, bringing our total fleet of these advanced fighter jets to 43.

“This agreement will significantly strengthen the capabilities of the Danish military in the region,” Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said in a statement Friday.

The defense boost comes after U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his willingness to acquire Greenland, saying the vast Arctic island under Danish sovereignty is “critical” to national and economic security.

Denmark has been working on a new defense package with the governments of Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

Two new Arctic ships, maritime patrol aircraft, drones and early warning radar will be purchased.

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

“The mission of the Armed Forces is to ensure the security of the entire Kingdom and, if necessary, to defend Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Denmark within the NATO framework in all areas,” Defense Minister Michael Hildgaard told Danish public broadcaster DR. It did not reveal who the potential enemy was.

There will also be funding for an undersea cable linking Greenland and Denmark.

The Danish Ministry of Defense’s statement speaks of deterrence and NATO obligations, but makes no mention of the United States or Russia.

But all this comes amid concerns about the intentions of President Trump, who has said he wants to take control of Greenland for security reasons and 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 stay with us.”

Greenland has been home to a U.S. radar station since the Cold War and has long been strategically important to Washington.

The island has extensive autonomy but is still part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

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

Greenland is strategically important to the United States because it is located on the shortest route from North America to Europe. It is also home to America’s largest space facilities.

It is also strategically located between North America and Russia.

Interest in Greenland’s natural resources, including rare earth minerals, uranium and iron mining, has grown in recent years.