BRUSSELS — NATO on Wednesday launched a military effort dubbed Arctic Sentry aimed at improving security in the High North, a month after U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up tensions in the alliance with his threats to annex Greenland.
Initially, Arctic Sentry will be the NATO label for national military exercises in the region, such as Denmark’s Arctic Endurance — which angered Trump so much that he threatened to slap tariffs on allies taking part — and Norway’s Cold Response drills.
Arctic Sentry is not a military operation. It does not involve the permanent or long-term deployment of troops to the region under a NATO banner.
“What is really new about it is that for the first time now we will bring everything we do in the Arctic together under one command,” NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters in Brussels. He said it would help the alliance to “assess which (security) gaps there are which we have to fill.”
“In the face of Russia’s increased military activity and China’s growing interest in the High North, it was crucial that we do more,” Rutte added.
Arctic security has been on NATO’s agenda in recent years — seven allies lie in the region, along with Russia — but pressure to act accelerated as Trump’s determination to “get” Greenland fueled tensions among the allies.
NATO’s role in this series of military activities, which will be coordinated through its U.S. headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, is aimed at countering Russian and Chinese influence in the High North, which includes Greenland.
NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, said in a statement that “Arctic Sentry underscores the alliance’s commitment to safeguard its members and maintain stability in one of the world’s most strategically significant and environmentally challenging areas.”
As part of the effort, the United Kingdom has announced that the number of British troops deployed to Norway will double over three years to 2,000 from 1,000. Some will be involved in Exercise Lion Protector, already planned for September.
Details are sketchy, but other NATO activities will be added to Arctic Sentry once broader security needs are assessed and as the national military exercises end.
France, Germany and Denmark have said they will take part but have not said how many troops would be involved.
NATO’s primary role is to defend the territory of its 32 member states. The specter of the alliance’s most powerful country threatening to annex part of another ally, Denmark, has deeply shaken the rest of the alliance. Greenland is a semiautonomous territory in the Danish realm.
European allies hope that Arctic Sentry and ongoing talks between the Trump administration, Denmark and Greenland will allow NATO to move on from the dispute and focus on Europe’s real security priority, Russia’s war on Ukraine.
