Denmark has announced it will spend 4.2 billion dollars to strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic, including Greenland, the BBC reports.
In addition, $4.5 billion will be spent on the purchase of 16 F-35 fighter jets from the US, bringing the total number of F-35s in Denmark’s fleet to 43. Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the move would significantly strengthen the Danish armed forces’ capabilities in the Arctic.
The Arctic is a particularly important crossroads between America, Russia and Europe. The Danish Defence Ministry said in a statement that the main objective is security and, if necessary, NATO defence. The commander of the Danish army, Michael Hyldgaard, indicated that the main task is to take care of the security of the entire kingdom, and, if necessary, to defend Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Denmark.
Denmark, together with Greenland and the Faroe Islands, is creating a new defense model.
It is planned to purchase two ships, patrol aircraft for maritime surveillance and an early warning system radar. The new Arctic command post will be located in the Greenland capital, Nuuk.
Greenland, which is located between North America and Russia, enjoys extensive internal autonomy, but is still part of the Kingdom of Denmark. In recent years, interest in the island’s natural resources, including rare earth deposits, has increased. Greenland is also strategically important for the United States, and a US radar base has been located there since the Cold War. US President Donald Trump has stated that the island is very important for observing Chinese and Russian ships, which, according to Trump, are on all sides. He has also repeatedly stated that he would like to subjugate Greenland to the US. The Greenlandic Prime Minister has responded that Greenland is not for sale.
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