Arctic Command Chief: – We must be ready if Russia or China change course

Denmark is sending new fighter jets and a frigate to Greenland to strengthen preparedness. The training is not intended to provoke, but to prepare, says Major General Søren Andersen.

This summer, Arctic Command is significantly increasing its presence in Greenland.

This is done through training exercises with fighter jets, frigates and helicopters – and the purpose is clear: Asserting sovereignty in the Arctic.

Arctic Command’s equipment will be joined by two additional helicopters, a larger frigate and two F-16 aircraft that will become part of Arctic Command in June.

Now the commander, Major General Søren Andersen, is putting into words what this means for Greenland and security in the region.

And he makes one thing clear: The armament is not due to a threat from the United States, but rather from Russia and China, even though they do not yet pose a threat.

– Both Russia and China are active in the Arctic near Alaska and the North Atlantic near Norway. So for me it’s about being ready and being able to look after the Faroe Islands, Greenland and the entire kingdom. That requires us to have extra units up in June to train.

In addition, the commander-in-chief adds that no consideration has been given to what signal the armament would send to the United States.

– No, my primary task is to be able to prepare myself if we suddenly get a different operational pattern from the Chinese or Russian units. We have an excellent cooperation with the American military.

Training in the Arctic – not a provocation

Søren Andersen says that there have been no fighter jets in Greenland since 2014. Therefore, he sees it as high time that training is resumed in order to enforce sovereignty.

– In order to assert sovereignty, it requires that the capacities that are not normally up here come up here once in a while and train and learn about the environment and the climate.

The hope is that the training in June will not be a one-off.

– I hope that this is also something we can repeat throughout the year.

Do you see a change where Arctic Command is moving away from having a civilian presence and more towards having a military presence?

Do you see a change where Arctic Command is moving away from having a civilian presence and more towards having a military presence?

– The population will see the same thing they have always seen. We will not be walking the streets with guns. We will behave as we have always done, says Søren Andersen.

He also explains that even though the new military equipment is in a different league – such as the frigate being able to be equipped with missiles in principle – he will not hesitate to deploy the new units in any civilian rescue operations.

– We will just train a little more units and capabilities than we have previously done, but with the same approach.

The West Coast in Focus

In recent months, there has been focus on China’s interest in establishing a so-called Northern Silk Road through the Arctic for trade purposes. At the same time, it is estimated that Russia may have submarines along the east coast of Greenland along the GIUK gap between Iceland.

Meanwhile, the new F-16 aircraft are planned to patrol the west coast.

How is it that training operations take place mainly on the west coast?

How is it that training operations take place mainly on the west coast?

– The two helicopters had a training session in Kulusuk. The regular surveillance operations along the east coast take place from Keflavik in Iceland. But they are not so visible to the population because they often go along the national park towards the North Pole and back again, says Søren Andersen.

The head of Arctic Command emphasizes, however, that it is true that the vast majority of the new units’ training will take place on the west coast.

– We chose to do it on the west coast, where the infrastructure is more accessible and it is easier to operate than on the east coast.

In addition to the new equipment, there will also be an army contribution, which will train together with the Arctic Basic Training Center in Kangerlussuaq in how to protect critical infrastructure.