While soldiers from different European NATO countries to participate in one of the largest military exercises carried out on the island, the strategic focus is not on Washington, but on Moscow. This is underlined by the major general Søren Andersen, commander of the Danish Arctic Commandwhich flatly rejects that the military reinforcement has any relationship with the recent political tensions between the United States and Denmark over the future of the territory.
From the Arctic Command headquarters in NuukAndersen directs the so-called Operation Arctic Endurancea multinational training exercise that represents the largest increase in allied military presence in Greenland in recent years. And it does so with a clear message: NATO does not prepare for an internal threat, but against external risks, mainly Russia.
“I am aware of the rhetorical climate that existsbut I consider it purely hypothetical that a NATO country attacks another NATO ally,” says Andersen, even anticipating any question about a possible scenario of confrontation with the United States.. “That is why our attention is focused on Russia, not in other places.”
Russia as a future, not immediate, threat
According to the head of the Arctic Command, the conflict in Ukraine is key to understanding the allied strategy in the north. The concern is not so much the present as the scenario after the end of the war. “Our expectation is that, Once the conflict in Ukraine ends, Russia will redistribute resources and capabilities to other regions,” he warns.
These movements could affect both the Baltic Sea and the Arctic, an increasingly strategic area for military, energy and geopolitical reasons. Hence, Andersen insists, the need to strengthen defensive capabilities in Greenland and its surroundings, although he clarifies that there is no imminent Russian threat on the island.
“We are talking about a potential threat, not an actual one.”. But precisely for that reason we have to be prepared,” he points out. In this framework, the military reinforcement responds to long-term planning that, according to the general, would have also been carried out independently of the political debate with the United States.
When asked directly if the increase in military activity would be linked in some way to the diplomatic confrontation with Washington, Andersen is blunt: “I hope not. “I can’t imagine one NATO ally attacking another.”
NATO’s northern flank, in the center
Beyond the current tensions, Andersen points to a change of mentality within the Atlantic Alliance. “For years, many countries have not provided the Arctic y to the North Atlantic the attention they deserve”he explains. “There is now a greater awareness of the importance of protecting NATO’s northern flank.”
This strategic shift translates in exercises like Arctic Endurancewhose main objective is to train allied forces in extreme conditions and improve multinational coordination in a key environment.
Among the participating countries are:
- Sweden
- Norway
- Germany
- United Kingdom
- France
- Netherlands
- Finland
- Belgium
Andersen avoids giving specific figures on the total number of troops deployed, but he does insist that it is a significant and coordinated effort, both at the Danish and allied levels.
Intact cooperation with the United States
Despite the political noise, the commander of the Arctic Command emphasizes that military cooperation with the United States remains fluid and unchanged. In fact, Washington has been invited to participate in the exercise, and Andersen recently visited the Pituffik Space Base, where the United States has about 150 military personnel deployed.
There he met with the commander of the Alaska Command, in a meeting that, as he describes, It passed completely normally. “From army to army, there is no change. We continue working together as always,” he says.
Regarding whether military reinforcement can have symbolic value in the midst of the debate about Greenland, Andersen avoids political assessments. “I have no comments on that,” he simply says.
For him, the message is unmistakable: Arctic Endurance is not a signal against allies, but an investment in collective defense. “The goal is to train, protect Greenland and ensure safety of NATO’s northern flank,” he concludes.
