Danish officials note investments to secure Greenland in call for stronger NATO presence in Arctic

Greenland's location makes it strategically important for Arctic security. (Janes)

While touting recent investments in Greenland security, Danish officials cited a need for more NATO involvement in the Arctic region on 8 July during the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) discussion: Denmark's Role in European and Transatlantic Security.

“NATO has to pay more attention to the Arctic,” Troels Lund Poulsen, Denmark deputy prime minister and minister of defence, said during the discussion.

“It has not paid any attention to the Arctic for many, many years,” Poulsen said.

On the other hand, Denmark in January confirmed a number of investments in Greenland meant to bolster that country's security, given Greenland's strategic location.

Nearly quarter the size of the contiguous United States and more than half the size of India, Greenland sits at the confluence of the Arctic and the North Atlantic oceans – or at the main intersection for North Atlantic sea lines of communication (SLOC).

Admiral Daryl Caudle, commander of US Navy (USN) Fleet Forces Command, and recently nominated to be US chief of naval operations (CNO), noted to Janes during a recent interview that Greenland “is critical for monitoring maritime operations that could threaten the homeland including Arctic security”.

For more information about the US strategic importance in Greenland, please see Feature: Greenland's strategic importance drives growing US interest .

The Danish investment confirmation came on the same month of the US presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has been calling publicly for the possible annexation of Greenland to better secure the US homeland.

However, Poulsen noted, the Danish decision to invest more heavily in Greenland defence came months “before Trump went public with his comments on Greenland”.