Denmark Enhances Arctic Security with Major Defence Investment

Sat Oct 11 2025 20:12:40 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Denmark announces a significant $4.2 billion investment to bolster Arctic defence, purchasing new military vessels, aircraft, and establishing a command HQ in Greenland.

In a bid to strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic regions, Denmark has revealed a defence spending plan totaling $4.2 billion. This includes the acquisition of advanced F-35 fighter jets, additional ships, and the establishment of a new military command in Greenland, as tensions rise in the strategically important area. The initiative underscores Denmark's commitment to NATO and aims to address potential threats amid escalating geopolitical interests in Arctic resources.

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

It will also spend $4.5 billion buying 16 more F-35 fighter jets from the US, 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 Arctic is at a critical crossroads between North America, Russia, and the rest of Europe. The statement by the Danish defence ministry emphasizes that the military's role is security and, if necessary, defence within the NATO security alliance.

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, Chief of Defence Michael Hyldgaard told Danish public broadcaster DR, without specifying potential adversaries.

Denmark collaborated on the new defence package with the governments of Greenland and the Faroe Islands, which will include the purchase of two new Arctic ships, maritime patrol planes, drones, and early warning radar systems.

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. Additionally, funding will be allocated for an undersea cable connecting Greenland and Denmark.

Greenland, strategically located between North America and Russia, retains wide-ranging autonomy while remaining a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Recent years have seen increased interest in the island’s natural resources, including rare earth minerals, uranium, and iron. The island lies on the shortest route from North America to Europe, heightening its significance for the US. It has hosted a US radar base since the Cold War and is home to a large American space facility.

Former US President Donald Trump characterized the island as vital for military efforts to monitor Chinese and Russian activities, expressing a desire to acquire Greenland, which was stated by its prime minister is not for sale, emphasizing that Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland.